Sermons translated from the original French of the late Rev. James Saurin, pastor of the French church at the Hague

'•y

^

SERMONS

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH

OF

THE LATE REV. JAMES SAURIN

VOL. I.
BT ROBERT ROBIJSTSOM

SERMONS

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL FRENCH

OF

THE LATE REV. JAMES SAURIN,

PASTOR OF THE FRENCH CHURCH AT THE HAGUE.

BY ROBERT ROBInSON.

VOLUME I.

ON THE A TTRIB UTES OF GOD.

SECOND AMERICAN
FROM THE FIFTH LONDON EDITION.

SCHEMECTABY :
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM J. M'CARTEE.

E.& E. Hosford— Printers— Albany.

1813.

CONTENTS

OF THE

FIRST VOL UME.

SERMON I.

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

Hebrews v. vi.

Page 69

SERMON II.

The Eternity of God.
2 Peter iii.

103

SERMON III.

Tlie Omnipresence of God.
Psalm cxxxix.

SERMON IV.

The Grandeur of God.
Isaiah xl.

133

16'

VI CONTENTS.

SERMON y.

The Greatness of God's Wisdom, and the Abun-
dance of his Power.

Jeremiah xxxii.

SERMON YI.

The Holiness of God.
Leviticus xix.

SERMON VII.

The Compassion of God.
Psalm ciii.

Page 195

227

255

SERMON VIII.

The Incomprehensibility of the Mercy of God.

Isaiah Iv.

285

SERMON IX.

The Severity of God.

Hebrews xii.

311

CONTENTS. VU

SERMON X.

The Patience of God.
Genesis xv.

SERMON XL

The Long-suffering of God.
EccLESiASTES viii.

SERMON XIL

God the only Object of Fear.
Part I. Jeremiah x.

SERMON XIL

God the only Object of Fear.
Part 11. Jeremiah x.

SERMON XIIL

The Manner of Praising God.
Psalm xxxiii.

Page 335

361

387

405

427

MEMOIRS

OF THE

EEFORM^TIOJ^ IJV FRdJ^CE,

AND OF

THE LIFE

OF THE

REV. JAMES SAURIN.

The celebrated Mr. Saurin, author of the fol-
lowing sermons, was a French refugee, who, with
thousands of his countrymen, took shelter in Hol-
land from the persecutions of France. The lives,
and even the sermons, of the refugees are so close-
ly connected with the history of the Reformation
in France, that, we presume, a short sketch of the
state of religion in that kingdom till the banish-
ment of the Protestants by Lewis XIV. will not
be disagieeable to some of the younger part of
our readers.

Gaul, which is now called France, in the time of
Jesus Christ, was a province of the Roman empire,
and some of the apostles planted Christianity in it.
In the first centuries, while Christianity continu-
ed a rational religion, it spread and supported it-
self without the help, and against the persecutions,

VOL. I. 2

X Memoirs of the Reformation in France,

of the Roman emperors. Numbers were convert-
ed from paganism, several Christian societies were
formed, and many eminent men, having spent
their lives in preaching and writing for the ad-
vancement of the gospel, sealed their doctrine with
their blood.

In the fifth century, Clovis I. a pagan king of
France, fell in love with Clotilda, a Christian prin-
cess of the house of Burgundy, who agreed to mar-
ry him only on condition of his becoming a
Christian, to which he consented. The king,
however, delayed the performance of this condition
till five years after his marriage ; when, being enga-
ged in a desperate battle, and having reason to fear
the total defeat of his army, he lifted up his eyes to
heaven, and put up this prayer, God of Queen Clo-
tilda! Grant me the victory, and I vow to be hap-
Used, and thenceforth to worship no other God hul
thee! He obtained the victory, and at his return,
was baptized at Rheims. His sister, and
more than three thousand of his subjects
followed his example, and Christianity be-
came the professed religion of France.

Conversion implies the cool exercise of reason,
and whenever passion takes the place, and does the
office of reason, conversion is nothing but a name.
Baptism did not wash away the sins of Clovis; be-
fore it he was vile, after it he was infamous, prac-
tising all kinds of treachery and cruelty. The
court, the army, and the common people, who
were pagan when the king was pagan, and Chris-
tian when he was Christian, continued the same in
their morals after theu' conversion as before. When

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xi

the Christian church, therefore, opened her doors,
and delivered up her keys to these new converts,
she gained nothing in comparison of what she lost.
She increased the number, the riches, the pomp,
and the power, of her family: but she resigned the
exercise of reason, the sufficiency of scripture, the
purity of worship, the grand simplicity of inno-
cence, truth, and virtue, and became a creature of
the state. A virgin before; she became a prosti-
tute now.

Such Christians, in a long succession, converted
Christianity into something worse than paganism.
They elevated the Christian church into a temporal
kingdom, and they degraded temporal kingdoms
into fiefs of the church. They founded dominion
in grace, and they explained grace to be a love of
dominion. And by these means they completed
that general apostacy, known by the name of
Popery, which St. Paul had foretold, 1 Tim, iv. 1.
and which rendered the reformation of the six-
teenth century essential to the interests of all man-
kind.

The state of religion at that time w^as 1515.
truly deplorable. Ecclesiastical government, instead
of that evangelical simplicity, and fraternal free-
dom, which Jesus Christ and his apostles had
taught, Avas become a spiritual domination under
the form of a temporal empke. An innumerable
multitude of dignities, titles, rights, honors, privi-
leges, and pre-eminences belonged to it, and were
all dependent on a sovereign priest, who, being
an absolute monarch, required every thought to
be in subjection to him. The chief ministers of

xii Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

religion were actually become temporal princes,
and the high-priest, being absolute sovereign of the
ecclesiastical state, had his court and his council,
his ambassadors to negociate, and his armies to
murder his flock. The clergy had acquired im-
mense wealth, and, as their chief study was either
to collect and to augment their revenues, or to pre-
vent the alienation of their estates, they had con-
stituted numberless spiritual corporations, with
powers, rights, statutes^ privileges, and officers.
The functions of the ministry were generally neg-
lected, and, of consequence, gross ignorance pre-
vailed. All ranks of men were extremely deprav-
ed in their morals, and the Pope's penitentiary had
published the price of every crime, as it was rated
in the tax-book of the Roman chancery. Mar-
riages, which reason and scripture allowed, the
Pope prohibited, and, for money, dispensed with
those which both forbad. Church-benefices were
sold to children, and to laymen, who then let
them to under tenants, none of whom performed
the duty, for which the profits were paid ; but all
having obtained them by simony, spent their lives
in fleecing the flock to repay themselves. The
power of the pontiff was so great that he assum-
ed, and, what was more astonishing, was suffer-
ed to exercise a supremacy over many kingdoms.
"When monarchs gratified his will, he put on a tri-
ple crown, ascended a throne, suffered them to call
him Holiness, and to kiss his feet. When they
disobliged liim, he suspended all religious worship in
their dominions ; published false and abusive libels,
called bulls, which operated as laws, to injure their

Memoirs of the Reformaiion in France, xiii

persons ; discharged their subjects from obedience ;
and gave their crowns to any who would usurp
them. He claimed an infallibility of knowledge,
and an omnipotence of strength ; and he forbad
the world to examine his claim. He was addres-
sed by titles of blasphemy, and, though he owned no
jurisdiction over himself, yet he affected to extend
his authority over heaven and hell, as well as over
a middle place called purgatory, of all which places,
he said, he kept the keys. This irregular church-
polity was attended with quarrels, intrigues, schisms,
and wars.

Religion itself was made to consist of the per-
formance of numerous ceremonies, of Pagan, Jew-
ish, and Monkish extraction, all which might be
performed without either faith in God, or love to
mankind. The church ritual was an address, not
to the reason, but to the senses of men : music
stole the ear, and soothed the passions; statues,
paintings, vestments, and various ornaments, be-
guiled the eye ; while the pause which was pro-
duced by that sudden attack, which a multitude of
objects made on the senses, on entering a spa-
cious decorated edifice, was enthusiastically taken
for devotion. Blind obedience was first allowed by
courtesy, and then established by law. Public
worship was performed in an unknown tongue, and
the sacrament was adored as the body and blood of
Christ. The credit of the ceremonial produced in
the people a notion, that the performance of it was
the practice of piety, and religion degenerated in-
to gross superstition. Vice, uncontrolled by rea-
son or scripture, retained a pagan vigor, and com-

xiv Memoirs of the Reformation in F ranee »

milted the most horrid crimes : and superstition
atoned for them, by building and endowing reli-
gious houses, and by bestowing donations on
the church. Human merit Vvas introduced, saints
were invoked, and the perfections of God were dis-
tributed by canonization, among the creatures of
the Pope.

The pillars that supported this edifice were
immense riches, arising by impost from the sins of
mankind ; idle distinctions between supreme and
subordinate adoration ; senseless axioms, called the
divinity of the schools; preachments of buffoonery
or blasphemy, or both ; cruel casuistry, consisting
of a body of dangerous and scandalous morality ;
false miracles and midnight visions ; spurious books
and paltry relics ; oaths, dungeons, inquisitions,
and crusades. The whole was denominated the

HOLY, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH, and laid

to the charge of Jesus Christ.

Loud complaints had been made of these exces-
ses, for the last hundred and fifty years, to those
whose business it Avas to reform, and, as bad as they
were, they had owned the necessity of reformation,
and had repeatedly promised to reform. Several
councils had been called for the purpose of reform-
ing ; but nothing had been done, nor could any thing
be expected from assemblies of mercenary men,
who were too deeply interested in darkness to vote
for day. They were inflexible against every re-
monstrance, and, as a Jesuit has since expressed
it, " Theij Kould not extinguish one taper ^ though it
were to convert all the Hugonots in France.''

3Iemoirs of the Reformation in France, xv

The restorers of literature reiterated and reason-
ed on these complaints : but they reasoned to the
wind. The church champions were hard driven,
they tried every art to support their cause: but
they could not get rid of the attack by a polite du-
plicity ; they could not intimidate their sensible op-
ponents by anathemas ; they would not dispute the
matter by scripture, and they could not defend
themselves by any other method ; they were too
obstinate to reform themselves, and too proud to be
reformed by their inferiors. At length, the plaintiffs
laid aside the thoughts of applying to them, and, hav-
ing found out the liberty/ wherewith Christ had made
them free, went about reforming themselves. The
reformers were neither popes, cardinals, nor bish-
ops : but they were good men, who aimed to pro-
mote the glory of God, and the good of mankind.

This was the state of the church, when Fran-

1 " 1 <

cis I. ascended the throne.

Were we to enter into a minute examination of
the reformation in France, we would own a partic-
ular interposition of Providence : but we would al-
so take the liberty to observe, that a happy conjunc-
tion of jarring interests rendered the sixteenth cen-
tury a fit aera for reformation. Events that produ-
ced, protected, and persecuted reformation, pro-
ceeded from open and hidden, great and little, good
and bad causes. The capacities and the tempers,
the virtues and the vices, the views and the inter-
ests, the wives and the mistresses, of the princes
of those times; the abilities and dispositions of
the officers of each crown ; the powers of govern-
ment, and the persons who wrought them; the

XTi Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

tempers and geniuses of the people ; all these, and
many more, were springs of action, which, in their
turns, directed the great events that were exhibit-
ed to public view. But our limits allow no inqui-
ries of this kind.

The reformation which began in Germany spread

itself to Geneva, and thence into France. The

French had a translation of the Bible, which hadbeen

made by Guiars des Moulins. It had been

In 1224. j.g^jgg(j^ corrected, and printed at Paris, by

^^^^' order of Charles VIII. and the study of it
now began to prevail. The reigning king, who was
a patron of learning, encouraged his valet de cham-
bre, Clement Marot, to versify some of David's
psalms, and took great pleasure in singing them,*
and either protected, or persecuted the reformation,
as his interest seemed to him to require. Although
he went in procession to burn the first
martyrs of the reformed church, yet in
the same year, he sent for Melancthon to come in-
to France to reconcile religious differences. Al-
though he persecuted his own protestant subjects
with infinite inhumanity, yet when he was afraid,
that the ruin of the German protestants would
strengthen the hands of the emperor Charles V. he
made an alliance with the protestant princes of Ger-

* His majesty's favorite psalm, which he sang when he went
a huntin^^, was the 42cl. The queen used to sing the 6th, and
the king's mistress the 130th. Marot translated fifty, Beza the
other hundred, Calvin got them set to music by the best musi-
cians, and eveiy body sang them as ballads. When the reform-
ed churches made them a part of their worship, the papists were
forbidden to sing them any more, and to sing a psalm was a sign
of a Luthei-an.

Memoirs of the Reformation in France. xvii

many, and he allowed the Duke of Orleans, his se-
cond son, to offer them the free exercise of their
relig;ion in tlie Dukedom of Luxemburg. He suf-
fered his sister, the Queen of Navarre, to protect
the reformation in her country of Beam, and even
saved Geneva, when Charles Duke of Savoy would
have taken it. It was no uncommon thing in that
age for princes to trifle thus with religion. His ma-
jesty's first concern was to be a king, his second to
act like a rational creature.

The reformation greatly increased in this reign.
The pious Queen of Navarre made her court a cov-
ert from every storm, supplied France with preach-
ers, and the exiles at Geneva with money. Calvin,
who had fled from his rectory in France, ^^^^^
and had settled at Geneva, was a chief in-
strument, he slid his catechism, and other
books into France. Some of the bishops were in-
clined to the reformation : but secretly, for fear of
the Christians of Rome. The reformation was cal-
led Calvinism, The people were named Sacramen-
tarians, Lutherans, Calvinists ; and nick-named Hu-
gonots, either from Hugon, a Hobgoblin, because,
to avoid persecution, they held their assemblies in
the night ; or from the gate Hugon, in Tours, where
they used to meet ; or from a Swiss word, which
signifies a league.

Henry IL who succeeded his father Fran- 1547.
cis, was a weak, and a wicked prince. The in-
crease of his authority was the law and the prophets
to him. He violently persecuted the Calvinists of

VOL. T. 8

iviii Memoirs of the Reformation in France,

France because he was taiiorht to believe, that here-
sy was a faction repugnant to authority; and he
made an alliance with the Gertnan protestants, and
was pleased with the title of Protector of the Ger-
manic liberties, that is, protector of protestantism.
This alliance he made, in order to check the power
of Charles Y. He was governed, sometimes by his
queen, Catharine de Medicis, niece of Pope Cle-
ment VII. who, it is said, never did right except
she did it by mistake : often by the constable de
Montniorenci, whom, contrary to the express com-
mand of his father, in his dying illness, he had pla-
ced at the head of administration : chiefly by his
mistress, Diana of Poitiers, who had been mistress
to his father, and who bore an implacable hatred to
the protestants : and always by some of his favour-
ites, whom he suffered to amass immense fortunes
by accusing men of heresy. The reformation was
very much advanced in this reign. The gentry pro-
moted the acting of plays, in which the comedians
exposed the lives and doctrines of the popish cler-
gy, and the poignant wit and humour of the come-
dians, afforded infinite diversion to the people, and
conciliated them to the new preachers. Be-
za, who had fled to Geneva, came backward
and forward into Fiance, and was a chief promoter
of the work. His Latin Testament, which he first
published in this reign, was much read,
greatly admired, and contributed to the
spread of the cause. The New Testament was the
Goliah's sword of the clerical reformers, there was
none like if.

Memoirs of the Reformation in France. xix

Francis II. succeeded his father Henry.
He was only in the sixteenth year of his
age, extremely weak both in body and mind, and
therefore incapable of governing the kingdom by
himself. In this reign began those civil wars, which
raged in France for almost forty years. They have
been charged on false zeal for religion : but this
charge is a calumny, for the crown of France was
the prize for which the generals fought. It was that
which inspired them with hopes and fears, product-
ive of devotions or persecutions, as either of them
opened access to the throne. The interests of re-
ligion, indeed, fell in with these views, and so the
parties were blended together in war.

The family of Charles the Great, which had
reigned in France for 236 years, either became ex-
tinct, or was deprived of its inheritance, at the
death of Lewis the Lazy. Him, Hugh Ca-
pet had succeeded, and had transmitted the
crown to his own posterity, which, in this reign,
subsisted in two principal branches, in that of Ya-
lois, which was in possession of the throne, and in
that of Bourbon, the next heir to the throne of
France, and then in possession of Beam. The
latter had been driven out of the kingdom of Na-
varre : but they retained the title, and were some-
limes at Beam and sometimes at the court of France.
The house of Guise, Dukes of Lorraine, a very rich
and powerful family, to whose niece, Mary Queen
of Scots, the young king was man'ied, pretended
to make out their descent from Charles the Great,
and were competitors, when the times served, with
the reigning family for the throne, and, at other

sx

Memoirs of the Reformation in France,

times, with the Bourbon family, for the apparent
heirship to it. With these views they directed their
family alliances, perfected themselves in military
skill, and intrigued at court for the administration
of affairs. These three houses formed three parties.
The house of Guise (the chiefs of which were five
brethren at this time) headed one ; the king of Na-
Tarre, the princes of the blood, and the great offi-
cers of the crown, the other; the ftueen mother,
who managed the interests of the reigning family,
exercised her policy on both, to keep either from
becoming too strong ; while the feeble child on the
throne was alternately a prey to them all.

Protestantism had obtained numerous converts in
the last reign. Several princes of the blood, some
chief officers of the crown, and many principal fam-
ilies, had embraced it, and its partizans were so nu-
merous, both in Paris and in all the provinces, that
each leader of the court parties, deliberating on the
policy of strengthening his party, by openly espous-
ing the reformation, by endeavouring to free the
protestants from penal laws, and by obtaining a
free toleration for them. At length, the house of
Bourbon declared for protestantism, and, of conse-
quence, the Guises were inspired with zeal for the
support of the ancient religion, and took the Ro-
man Catholics under their protection. The king of
Navarre, and the prince of Conde, were the heads
of the first : but the Duke of Guise had the ad-
dress to obtain the chief management of affairs, and
the protestants were persecuted with insatiable fury
all the time of this reign.

Memoirs of the Reformation in France. xxi

Had religion then no share in these commotions ?
Certainly it liad, with many of the princes, and
with multitudes of the soldiers : But they were a
motley mixture ; one fought for his coronet, anoth-
er for his land, a third for liberty of conscience, and
a fourth for pay. Courage was a joint stock, and
they were mutual sharers of gain or loss, praise or
blame. It was religion to secure the lives and prop-
erties of noble families, and though the common
people had no lordships, yet they had the more val-
uable rights of conscience, and for them they fought.
We mistake, if we imagine that the French have
never understood the nature of civil and religious
liberty, they have well understood it, though they
have not been able to obtain it. Suum cuique would
have been as expressive a motto as any that the
protestant generals could have borne.

The persecution of the protestants was very se-
vere at this time. Counsellor Du Bourg, a gentle-
man of eminent quality, and great merit, was burnt
for heresy, and the court was inclined, not only to
rid France of protestantism, but Scotland also, and
sent La Brosse with three thousand men to assist the
queen of Scotland in that pious design. This was
frustrated by the intervention of Queen Elizabeth
of England. The persecution becoming every day
more intolerable, and the king being quite inacces-
sible to the remonstrances of his people, the protest-
ants held several consultations, and took the opin-
ions of their ministers, as well as those of their no-
ble partizans, on the question, whether it were law-
ful to take up arms in their own defence, and to
make way for a free access to the king to present

xxii Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

their petitions ? It was unanimously resolved, that
it was lawful, and it was agreed, that a certain num-
ber of men should be chosen, who should go on a
fixed day, under the direction of Lewis prince of
Conde, present their petition to the king, and seize
the Duke of Guise, and the Cardinal of Lorraine,
bis brother, in order to have them tried before the
states. This affair was discovered to the Duke by
a false brother, the design w^as defeated, and twelve
hundred were beheaded. Guise pretended to have
suppressed a rebellion that was designed to end in
the dethroning of the king, and, by this manoeuvre,
be procured the general lieutenancy of the king-
dom, and the glorious title of Conservator of his
country. He pleased the puerile king by placing a
few gaudy horse-guards round his palace, and he
infatuated the poor child to think himself and his
kingdom rich and happy, w4iile his protestant sub-
jects lay a bleeding through all his realm.

The infinite value of an able statesman, in such
an important crisis as this, might here be exemplifi-
ed in the conduct of Michael de L'Hospital, who
w^as at this time promoted to the chancel-
lorship : but our limits will not allow an
enlargement. He was the most consummate poli-
tician that France ever employed. He had the
wisdom of governing without the folly of discov-
ering it, and all his actions were guided by that
cool moderation, w4iich always accompanies a su-
perior knowledge of mankind. He was a conceal-
ed protestant of the most liberal sentiments, an en-
tire friend to religious liberty^ and it was his wise
management that saved France. It was his fixed

'Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxiii

opinion, that free toleration was sound policy.
We must not wonder that rigid papists deemed him
an atheist, while zealous, but mistaking protestants,
pictured him carrying a torch behind him, to guide
others but not himself. The more a man resembles
God, the more will his conduct be censured by ig-
norance, partiality, and pride !

The Duke of Guise, in order to please and
strengthen his party, endeavoured to establish an
inquisition in France. The chancellor, being wil-
ling to parry a thrust which he could not
entirely avoid, was forced to agree to a 1550'.
severer edict than he could have wished, to
defeat the design. By this edict, the cognizance of
the crime of heresy was taken from the secular
judges, and given to the bishops alone. The Cal-
vinists complained of this, because it put them into
the hands of their enemies: and although their
Lordships condemned and burnt so many heretics,
that their courts were justly called chamhres arden-
tes,^ yet the zealous catholics thought them less eli-
gible than an inquisition after the manner of Spain.

Soon after the making of this edict, ma-
ny families having been ruined by it. Ad- i^^\
miral Coligny presented a petition to the
king, in the names of all the protestants of France,
humbly praying that they might be allowed the free
exercise of their religion. The king referred the
matter to the parliament, who were to consult about
it with the lords of his council. A warm debate en-
sued, and the catholics carried it against the protest-

* Burning courts, fire offices.

xxiv Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

ants by three voices. It was resolved, that people
should be obliged, either to conform to the old es-
tablished church, or to quit the kingdom, with per-
mission to sell their estates. The protestants argu-
ed, that in a point of such importance, it would be
unreasonable, on account of three voices, to inflame
all France with animosity and war : that the meth-
od of banishment was impossible to be executed :
and that the obliging of those, who continued in
France, to submit to the Romish religion, against
their consciences, was an absurd attempt, and equal
to an impossibility. The chancellor, and the pro-
testant Lords, used every effort to procure a tolera-
tion, while the catholic party urged the necessity
of uniformity in religion. At length two of the
bishops owned the necessity of reforming, pleaded
strenuously for moderate measures, and proposed
the deciding; of these controversies in an assemblv
of the states, assisted by a national council, to be
summoned at the latter end of the year. To this
proposal the assembly agreed.

The court of Rome having laid it down as an in-
dubitable maxim in church police, that an inquisition
was the only support of the hierarchy, and dreading
the consequences of allowing a nation to reform it-
self, was alarmed at this intelligence, and instantly
sent a nuncio into France. His instructions were to
prevent, if possible, the calling of a national council,
and to promise the re-assembling of the general coun-
cil of Trent. The protestants had been too often
dupes to such artifices as these, and, being fully con-
vinced of the futility of general councils, they refu-

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxv

sed to submit to the council of Trent now for sever-
al good reasons. The pope, they said, who assem-
bled the council, was to be judge in his own cause:
the council would be chiefly composed of Italian
bishops, who were vassals of the Pope, as a secular
prince, and sworn to him as a bishop and head of the
church : the legates would pack a majority, and bribe
the poor bishops to vote : each article would be first
settled at Rome, and then proposed by the legates
to the council : the Emperor, by advice of the late
council of Constance, had given a safe conduct to
John Huss, and to Jerom of Prague, however, when
they appeared in the council, and proposed their
doubts, the council condenmed them to be burnt.
The protestants had reason on their side, when they
rejected this method of reforming, for the art of pro-
curing a majority of votes is the soul of this system
of church-government. This art consists in the in-
genuity of finding out, and in the dexterity of ad-
dressing each man's weak side, his pride or his io--
norance, his envy, his gravity, or his avarice : and
the possessing of this is the perfection of a Legate of
Rome.

During these disputes, the king died
without issue, and his brother Charles IX. iseof
who was in the eleventh vear of his asfe,
succeeded him. The States met at the time ^^*
proposed. The chancellor opened the session by
an unanswerable speech on the ill policy of persecu-
tion, he represented the miseries of the protestants,
and proposed an abatement of their sufferings, till
their complaints could be heard in a national coun-

TQL. I, 4

xxvi Memoirs of the Reformation in France,

cil. The Prince of Conde and the King of Navar-
re were the heads of the protestant party, the Gui-
ses were the headsof their opponents, and the queen
mother, Catharine de Medicis, who had obtained
the regency till the king's majority, and who began
to dread the power of the Guises, leaned to the pro-
testants, which w^as a grand event in their favor.
After repeated meetings, and various warm debates,
it was agreed, as one side would not submit to a
general council, nor the other to a national assem-
bly, that a conference should be held at Poissy, be-
tween both parties, and an edict was made,

i^eV. that no persons should molest the protest-
ants, that the imprisoned should be releas-

1561. ed, and the exiles called home.

The conference at Poissy was held, in the pres-
ence of the king, the princes of the blood, the no-
bility, cardinals, prelates, and grandees of both par-
ties. On the popish side, six cardinals, four bishops,
and several dignified clergymen, and on the pro-
testant about twelve of the most famous reformed
ministers, managed the dispute. Beza, who spoke
well, knew the world, and had a ready wit, and a
deal of learning, displayed all his powers in favor
of the reformation. The papists reasoned where
they could, and where they could not they railed.
The conference ended where most public

Sept. 29. .

disputes have ended, that is, where they be-
gan ; for great men never enter these lists, without
a previous determination not to submit to the dis-
grace of a public defeat.

Memoirs of the Heformalion in France, xxvii

At the close of the last reign, the ruin of protest-
antism seemed inevitable: but now the reformation
turned like a tide, overspread every place, and seem-
ed to roll away all opposition, and, in all probabil-
ity, had it not been for one sad event, it would now
have subverted popery in this kingdom. The king
of Navarre, who was now lieutenant general of
France, had hitherto been a zealous protestant, he
Lad taken incredible pains to support the reforma-
tion, and had assured the Danish ambassador that,
in a year's time, he would cause the true gospel to
be preached throughout France. The Guises ca-
balled with the pope and tlie king of Spain, and
they offered to invest the king of Navarre with the
iingdom of Sardinia, and to restore to him that part
of the kingdom of Navarre, which lay in Spain, on
condition of his renouncing protestantism. The
lure w^as tempting, and the king deserted, and even
persecuted the protestants. Providence is never at
a loss for means to ,effect its designs. The queen
of Navarre, daughter of the last queen, who had
hitherto preferred a dance to a sermon, was shock-
ed at the king's conduct, and instantly became a
zealous protestant herself. She met wdth some un-
kind treatment, but nothing could shake her resolu-
tion ; Had I, said she, the kingdoms in m,y hand, I
would throw them into the sea, rather than defile iny
conscience by going to mass. This courageous pro-
fession saved her a deal of trouble and dispute I

The protestants began now to appear more pub-
licly than before. The queen of Navarre caused
Beza openly to solemnize a marriage in a noble fam-

xxviii Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

ily, after the Geneva manner. This, which was con-
summated near the court, emboldened the ministers,
and they preached at the countess de Senignan's,
guarded by the marshal's provosts. The nobility
thouo^ht that the common people had as good a right
to hear the gospel as themselves, and caused the re-
formed clergy to preach without the walls of Paris.
Their auditors were thirty, or forty thousand peo-
ple, divided into three companies, the women in the
middle, surrounded by men on foot, and the latter
by men on horseback ; and during the sermon, the
governor of Paris placed soldiers to guard the ave-
nues, and to prevent disturbances. The morality of
this worship cannot be disputed, for if God be wor-
shipped in spirit and in truth, the place is indiffer-
ent. The expediency of it may be doubted: but,
in a persecution of forty years, the French protest-
ants had learnt that their political masters did not
consider how rational, but how formidable they
were.

The Guises, and their associates, being quite dis-
pirited, retired to their estates, and the queen re-
gent, by the chancellor's advice, granted an edict to
enable the protestants to preach in all parts of the
kingdom, except in Paris, and in other walled cities.
The parliaments of France had then the power of
refusing to register royal edicts, and the chancellor
had occasion for all his address, to prevail over the
scruples and ill humor of the parliament to procure
the registering of this. He begged leave to say,
that the question before them was one of those
which had its difficulties, on whatever side it wae

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxix

viewed : that in the present case, one, of two things,
must be chosen, either to put all the adherents of
the new religion to the sword ; or to banish them
entirely, allowing thenn to dispose of their effects ;
that the first point could not be executed, since tliat
party was too strong both in leaders and partizans ;
and tho' it could be done, yet as it was staining the
king's youth with the blood of so many of his sul>
jects, perhaps when he came to age, he would de-
mand it at the hands of his governors ; with regard
to the second point, it was as little feasible, and
could it be effected, it would be raising as many
desperate enemies as exiles: that to enforce con-
formity against conscience, as matters stood now,
was to lead the people to atheism. The edict at
last was passed, but the house registered it
with this clause, in consideration of the pre- 1552.
sent juncture of the times : hut not approv-
ing of the new religion in any manner, and till the
king shall otherwise appoint. So hard sat toleration
on the minds of papists.

A minority was a period favorable to the views
of the Guises, and this edict was a happy occasion
of a pretence for commencing hostilities. The
Duke, instigated by his mother, went to Yassi, a
town adjacent to one of his lordships, and, some
of his retinue picking a quarrel with some protest-
ants, who were hearing a sermon in a barn, he in-
terested himself in it, wounded two hundred, and
left sixty dead on the spot. This was the
first protestant blood, that was shed in civ- 1562.
il war.

XXX Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

The news of this afFau' flew like lightning, and,
while the Duke was marching to Paris with a thou-
sand horse, the city, and the provinces rose in arms.
The chancellor was extremely afflicted to see both
sides preparing for war, and endeavored to dissuade
them from it. The constable told him, it did not
belong to men of the long robe, to give their judgment
nith relation to war. To which he answered, that
though he did not bear arms, he knew when they ought
to be used. After this, they excluded him from the
councils of war.

The queen-regent, alarmed at the Duke's ap-
proach to Paris, threw herself into the hands of the
Protestants, and ordered Conde to take up

isel. arms. War began, and barbarities and cru-
elties were practised on both sides. The
Duke of Guise was assassinated, the king of Na-
varre w as killed at a siege, fifty thousand protest-
ants were slain, and, after a year had been spent in
these confusions, a peace was concluded.
All that the protestants obtained, w^as an
edict which excluded the exercise of their religion
from cities, and restrained it to their own families.

Peace did not continue long, for the protestants,
having received intelligence, that the Pope, the
house of Austria, and the house of Guise, had con-
spired their ruin, and fearing that the king, and
the court, were inclined to crush them, as their
rights were every day infringed by new edicts, took
up arms aoain in their own defence. The
city of Rochelle declared for them, and it
served them for an asylum for sixty years. They

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxxi

were assisted by Queen Elizabeth of England, and
by the German princes, and they obtained, at the
conclusion of this second war, the revoca- , ^^

, 1568.

lion of all penal edicts, the exercise of their
religion in their families, and the grant of six cities
for their security.

The pope, the king of Spain, and the Guises,
finding that they could not prevail while the wise
chancellor retained his influence, formed a
cabal against him, and got him removed. 1558*
He resigned very readily, and retired to a
country seat, where he spent the remainder of his
days. A strange confusion followed in the direct-
ion of affairs, one edict allowed liberty, another
forbad it, and it was plain to the protestants that
their situation was very delicate and dangerous.
The articles of the last peace had never been per-
formed, and the papists every where insulted their
liberties, so that, in three months time, two thou-
sand Hugonots were murdered, and the murderers
went unpunished. War broke out again.
Queen Elizabeth assisted the protestants
with money, the Count Palatine helped them with
men, the Queen of Navarre parted with her rings
and jewels to support them, and, the Prince of Con-
de being slain, she declared her son, prince Henry,
the head, and protector of the protestant cause, and
caused medals to be struck with these words a safe
peace, a complete victory, a glorious death. Her majes-
ty did every thing in her power for the advancement
of religious liberty, and she used to say, that liber-
ty of conscience ought to be preferred before honors,

xxxii Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

dignilics, and life itself. She caused the New Tes^
tament, the catechism, and the liturgy of Geneva,
to be translated, and printed at Rochelle. She
abolished popery, and established protestantism in
her own dominions. In her leisure hours, she ex-
pressed her zeal by working tapestries with her
own hands, in which she represented the monuments
of that liberty, which she procured by shaking off
the yoke of the Pope. One suit consisted of twelve
pieces. On each piece was represented some scrip-
ture history of deliverance ; Israel coming out of
Egypt, Joseph's release from prison, or something
of the like kind. On the top of each piece were
these words, rvhere the spirit is there is liberty, and
in the corners of each were broken chains, fetters,
and gibbets. One piece represented a congregation
at JMass, and a fox, in a friar's habit, officiating as
a priest, grinning horribly and saying, the Lord be
with you. The pieces were fashionable patterns,
and dexterously directed the needles of the ladies
to help forward the reformation.

After many negotiations a peace was con-
cluded, and the free exercise of religion
was allowed in all but walled cities, two cities in
every province were assigned to the protestants ;
they were to be admitted into all universities,
schools, hospitals, public offices, royal, seignioral,
and corporate, and, to render the peace of ever-
lasting duration, a match was proposed between
Henry of Navarre, and the sister of king Charles.
These articles were accepted, the match was agreed
^o, every man's sword was put up in its sheath, and

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxxiii

Ihe Queen of Navarre, her son, King Henry, the
princes of the blood, and the principal pro-
testants, went to Paris to celebrate the mar- 1572.
riage. A few days after the marriage, the
Admu'al, who was one of the principal protestant
leaders, was assassinated. This alarmed ^^^ ^2
the king of Navarre, and the prince of
Conde, but, the king and his mother promising to
punish the assassin, they were quiet. The * ^ 9.
next Sunday, being S. Bartholomew's day,
w hen the bells rang for morning prayers, the Duke
of Guise, brother of the last, appeared with a great
number of soldiers, and citizens, and began to mur-
der the Hugonots, the w retched Charles appeared
at the w indows of his palace, and endeavored to
shoot those w^ho fled, crying to their pursuers, Kill
them, kill them. The massacre continued seven
days, seven hundred houses were pillaged ; five
thousand people perished in Paris, neither age, nor
sex, nor even women with child were spared ; one
butcher boasted to the king that he had hewn down
a hundred and fifty in one night. The rage ran
from Paris to the provinces, where twenty five thou-
sand more w^ere cruelly slain ; the Queen of Na-
varre was poisoned ; and, during the massacre, the
king offered the king of Navarre, and the young
prince of Conde, son of the late prince, if they
would not renounce Hugonotism, either death, mass,
or hastile : for, he said, he would not have one left
to reproach him. This bloody affair does not lie
betw een Charles IX. his mother, Catharine of Me-
dicis, and the Duke of Guise ; for the church of
VOL. I, 5

xxxiv 3Iemoirs of the Reformation in France,

Rome, and the court of Spain, by exhibiting pub-
lic rejoicings on the occasion, have adopted it for
their own, or, at least, have claimed a share.

Would any one after this propose passive obedi-
ence, and non-resistance, to French protestants ?
Or can we wonder, that, abhorring a church, who
offered to embrace them with hands reeking with
the blood of then' brethren, they put on their ar-
mor again, and commenced a fourth civil war ? The
late massacre raised up also another party, called
Politicians, who proposed to banish the family of
Guise from France, to remove the queen mother,
and the Italians, from the government, and to re-
store peace to the nation. This faction was headed
by Montmorenci, who had an eye to the crown.
During these troubles, the king died, in
the twenty-fifth year of his age. Charles
had a lively little genius, he composed a book on
hunting, and valued himself on his skill in physi-
ognomy. He thought courage consisted in swear-
ing and taunting at his courtiers. His diversions
were hunting, music, women, and wine. His court
was a common sewer of luxury and impiety, and,
while his favorites were fleecing his people, he em-
ployed himself in the making of rhymes. The
part which he acted in the Bartholomean tragedy,
the worst crime that was ever perpetrated in any
Christian country, will mark his reign with infamy,
to the end of time.

Henry HI. who succeeded his brother Charles,
w^as first despised, and then hated, by all his sub-
jects. He was so proud that he set rails round his

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxxv

table, and affected the pomp of an eastern king :
and so mean that he often walked in procession with
a beggarly brotherhood, with a string of beads in
his hand, and a whip at his girdle. He was so cred-i
idous that he took the sacrament with the Duke of
Guise, and with the Cardinal of Lorraine, his broth-
er ; and so treacherous that he caused the assassina-
tion of them both. He boasted being a chief advis-
er of the late massacre, and the protestants abhor-
red him for it. The papists hated him for his ad-
herence to the Hugonot house of Bourbon, and for
the edicts which he sometimes granted in favor of
the protestants, though his only aim was to weaken
the Guises. The Ladies held him in execration for
his unnatural practices : and the dutchess of Mont-
pensier talked of clipping his hair, and of making
him a monk. His heavy taxes, which were con-
sumed by his favorites, excited the populace against
him, and, while his kingdom was covered with car-
nage, and drenching in blood, he was training lap-
dogs to tumble, and parrots to prate.

In this reign was formed the famous league, which
reduced France to the most miserable condition that
could be. The chief promoter of it was the duke
of Guise. The pretence was the preservation of
the catholic religion. The chief articJes were three.
*' The defence of the catholic relioion. The estab-
lishment of Henry HL on the throne. The main-
taining of the liberty of the kingdom, and the as-
sembling of the states." Those who entered into
the league, promised to obey such a General as
should be chosen for the defence of it, and the

xxxvi 3Icmoirs of the Reformation in France,

Tviiole was confirmed by oath. The weak Henry
subscribed it at first in hopes of subduing the Hu-
gonots ; the queen mother, the Guises, the pope,
the king of Spain, many of the clergy, and multi-
tudes of the people became leaguers. When Hen-
ry perceived that Guise was aiming by this league
to dethrone him, he favored the protestants, and
they obtained an edict for the free exercise
^ ^' of their religion: but edicts were vain
things against the power of the league, and three
civil wars raged in this reign.

Guise's pretended zeal for the Romish religion
allured the clergy, and France was filled with sedi-
tious books and sermons. The preachers of the
league were the most furious of all sermon-mongers.
They preached up the excellency of the established
church, the necessity of uniformity, the horror of
Hugonotism, the merit of killing the tyrant on the
throne, (for so they called the king) the genealogy
of the house of Guise, and every thing else that
could inflame the madness of party-rage. It is not
enough to say that these abandoned clergymen dis-
graced their oflfice, truth obliges us to add, they
were protected, and preferred to dignities in the
church, both in France and Spain.

The nearer the Guises approached to the crown,
the more were they inflamed at the sight of it.
They obliged the king to forbid the exercise of the
protestant religion. They endeavored to exclude
the king of Navarre, who was now the next heir to
the throne, from the succession. They began to act
so haughtil}' that Henry caused the Duke and the

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxxvii

Cardinal to be assassinated. The next year lie him-
self was assassinated by a friar. Reliijion
flourishes where nothing else can grow, and
the reformation spread more and more in ^^^^•
this reign. The exiles at Geneva filled France with
a new translation of the bible, with books, letters,
catechisms, hymns, and preachers, and the people,
contrasting the religion of Christ with the religion
of Rome, entertained a most serious aversion for the
latter.

In the last king ended the family of Yalois, and
the next heir was Henry IV, of the house of Bour-
bon, king of Navarre. His majesty had been edu-
cated a protestant, and had been the protector of
the party, and the protestants had reason to expect
much from him on his ascending the throne of
France : but he had many difficulties to surmount,
for could the men who would not bear a Hugonot
subject, bear a Hugonot king ? Some of the old fac-
tion disputed his title, and all insisted on a christian
king. Henry had for him, on the one side, almost
all the nobility, the w hole court of the late king, all
protestant states, and princes, and the old Hugonot
troops : on the other, he had against him, the com-
mon people, most of the great cities, all the par-
liaments except two, the greatest part of the clergy,
the pope, the king of Spain, and most catholic states.
Four years his majesty deliberated, negociated, and
fought, but could not gain Paris. At length, the
league set up a king of the house of Guise, and
Henry found that the throne was inaccessible to all
but papists, he therefore renounced heresy before

XXXV iii Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

Dr. Benoit, a moderate papist, and professed bis
conversion to popery. Paris opened its gates, the
pope sent an absolution, and Henry became a most
christian king. Every man may rejoice that his
virtue is not put to the trial of refusing a crown !

When bis majesty got to his palace in Paris, he
thought proper to conciliate his new friends by
shewing them particular esteem, and played at
cards the first evening with a lady of the house of
Guise, the most violent leaguer in all the party.
His old servants, who had shed rivers of blood to
bring the house of Bourbon to the throne, thought
themselves neglected. While the protestants were
slighted, and while those, who had followed the
league, were disengaging themselves from it on ad-
vantageous conditions, one of the king's old friends
said, "We do not envy your killing the fatted
calf for the prodigal son, provided you do not sa-
crifice the obedient son to make the better enter-
tainment for the prodigal. I dread those bargains,
in which things are given up, and nothing got but
mere words ; the words of those who hitherto have
had no words at all."

By ascending the throne of France, Henry had
risen to the highest degree of wretchedness. He
had offered violence to his conscience by embracing
popery, he had stirred up a general discontent a-
mong the French protestants, the queen of England,
and the protestant states, reproached hitn bitterly,
the league refused to acknowledge him till the pope
had absolved him in form, the king of Spain cabal-
led for the crown, several cities heldout against him,

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xxxix

many of the clergy thought him an hypocrite, and
refused to insert his name in the public prayers of
the church, the lawyers published libels against him,
the Jesuits threatened to assassinate him, and actu-
ally attempted to do it. In this delicate and diffi-
cult situation, though his majesty manifested the
frailty of humanity by renouncing protestantism,
yet he extricated himself and his subjects from the
fatal labyrinths in which they were all involved, so
that he deservedly acquired from his enemies the
epithet Great, though his friends durst not give
him that of Good.

The king had been so well acquainted with the
protestants, that he perfectly knew their principles,
and, could he have acted as he would, he would
have instantly granted them all that they w^anted.
Their enemies had falsely said, that they were ene-
mies to government: but the king knew better,
and he also knew that the claims of his family w ould
have been long ago buried in oblivion, had not the
protestants supported them. Marshal Biron had
been one chief instrument of bringing him to the
throne. The Marshal was not a good Hugonot, nor
did he profess to be a papist : but he espoused the
protestant party, for he was a man of great sense,
and he hated violence in religion ; and there were
many more of the same cast. Parties, however, ran
so high that precipitancy would have lost all, and
Henry was obliged to proceed by slow and cautious
steps.

The deputies of the reformed churches, soon
waited on his majesty to congratulate him, and to

xl Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

pray for liberty. The king allowed them to hold a
general assembly, and offered them some slight sat-
isfaction : but the hardy veteran Hugonots, who had
spent their days in the field, and who knew also
that persons, who were of approved fidelity, might
venture to give the king their advice without an-
gering him, took the liberty of reminding him that
they would not be paid in compliments for so many
signal services. Their ancestors and they had sup-
ported his right to the crown, along with their own
right to liberty of conscience, and as Providence had
granted the one, they expected that the other would
not be denied. The king felt the force of these re-
monstrances, and ventured to allow them to hold
provincial assemblies ; after a while, to convene a
national synod, and, as soon as he could, he grant-
ed them the famous Edict of Nantz.
The Edict of Nantz, which was called
perpetual, and irrevocahle, and which contained nine-
ty two articles, beside fifty six secret articles, grant-
ed to the protestants liberty of conscience, and the
free exercise of religion ; many churches in all parts
of France, and judges of their own persuasion; a
free access to all places of honor and dignity ; great
sums of money to pay off their troops ; an hundred
places as pledges of their future security, and cer-
tain funds to maintain both their preachers and their
garrisons. The king did not send this edict to be
registered in parliament, till the Pope's legate was
gone out of the kingdom, so that it did not get there
till the next year. Some of the old party in the
house boggled at it very much, and particularly be-

Memoirs of the Reformation in France. xli

cause the Hugonots were hereby qualified for offi-
ces, and places of trust : but his majesty sent for
some of the chiefs to his closet, made them a most
pathetic speech on the occasion, and, with some dif-
ficulty, brought them to a compliance. It is easy
to conceive that the king might be very pathetic on
this occasion, for he had seen and suffered enough
to make any man so. The meanest Hugonot sol-
dier could not avoid the pathos, if he related his
campaigns. But it is very credible, that it was not
the pathos of his majesty's language, but the power
in his hand, that afferted these intolerant souls.

No nation ever made a more noble struggle, for
recovering liberty of conscience out of the rapacious
hands of the Papal priesthood, than the French.
And one may venture to defy the most sanguine
friend to intolerance to prove, that a free toleration
hath, in any country, at any period, produced such
calamities in society as those which persecution
produced in France. ' After a million of brave men
had been destroyed, after nine civil wars, after four
pitched battles, after the besieging of several hun-
dred places, after more than three hundred engage-
ments, after poisoning, burning, assassinating, massa-
creing, murdering in every form, France is forced
to submit to what her wise Chancellor de L'Hospi-
tal had at first proposed, a free toleration. Most
of the zealous leaguers voted for it, because thei/
had found by experience^ they said, that violent pro-
ceedings in matters of religion prove more destructive
than edifying, A noble testimony from enemies'
mouths !

TOL. I. 6

xlii Memoirs of the Heformation in France.

France now be^an to taste the sweets of peace,
the king employed himself in making his subjects
happy, and the far greater part of his subjects, en-
deavored to render him so. The protestants appli-
ed themselves to the care of their churches, and, as
they had at this time a great many able ministers,
they flourished, and increased the remaining part of
this reign. The doctrine of their churches was Cal-
vinism, and their discipline was presbyterian, after
the Geneva plan. Their churches were supplied by
able pastors; their universities were adorned with
learned and pious professors, such as Casaubon,
Daille, and otliers, whose praises are in all the re-
formed churches ; their provincial, and national sy-
nods were regularly convened, and their people
were well governed. Much pains were taken with
the king to alienate his mind from his piotestant
subjects : but no motives could influence him. He
kneiv the worth of the men, and he protected them
till his death. This great prince was ha-

16^10. ' t^d by the Popish clergy for his lenity, and
was stabbed in his coach by the execrable
Ravillac, whose name inspires one with horror and
pain.

Lewis XIII. was not quite nine years of age,
w^hen he succeeded his father Heiny. The first act
of the queen mother, who had the regency during
the king's minority, was the confirmation of the
edict of Nantz. Lewis confirmed it again at his ma-
jority, promising to observe it inviolably*
The protestants deserved a confirmation of
their privileges at his hands ; for they had taken no

Memoirs of the Reformalion in France. xliii

part in the civil wars and disturbances which trou-
bled his minority. They had been earnestly solicit-
ed to intermeddle with government: but ihey had
wisely avoided it.

Lewis was a weak ambitious man, he was jealous
of his power to excess, though he did not know
wherein it consisted. He was so void of prudence,
that he could not help exalting his flatterers into fa-
vorites, and his favorites into excessive power. He
was so timorous that his favorites became the ob-
jects of his hatred, the moment after he had elevated
them to authority : and he was so callous that he
never lamented a favorite's death or downfall. By
a solemn act of devotion, attended with all the farce
of pictures, masses, processions, and festivals, he
consecrated his person, his dominions, his crown and
his subjects to the Yirgin Mary, desiring her to de-
fend his kingdom, and to inspire him with
grace to lead a holy life. The Popish cler-
gy adored him for thus sanctifying their supersti-
tions by his example, and he, in return, lent them
his power to punish his protestant subjects, whom
he hated. His panegyrists call him Lewis the just:
but they ought to acknowledge that his majesty did
nothing to merit the title, till he found himself
a-dying.

Lewis's prime minister was an ?.rtful, enterprizing
clergyman, who, before his elevation, w^as a country
bishop, and, after it, was known by the title of Car-
dinal de Richlieu : but the most proper title for his
eminence is that, which some liistorians give him, of
the Jupiter Mactator of France. He was a man of

xliv Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

great ability : but of no merit. Had his virtue been
as great as his capacity, he ought not to have been
intrusted with government, because all Cardinals
take an oath to the Pope, and although an oath does
not bind a bad man, yet as the taking of it gives
liim credit, so the breach of it ruins all his prospects
amono- those with whom he hath taken it.

The Jesuits, w ho had been banished from
1604 France, for attempting the life of Henry

IV, had been recalled, and restored to their
houses, and one of their society, under pretence of
being responsible, as an hostage, for the w^hole fra-
ternity, was allowed to attend the king. The Jes-
uits, by this mean, gained the greatest honor and
power, and, as they excelled in learning, address,
and intrigue, they knew how to obtain the king's
iear, and how to improve his credulity to their own
advantage.

This dangerous society was first formed

by Ignatus Loyola, a vSpanish deserter?
who, being frighted out of the army by a wound,
took it into his head to go on pilgrimage, and to
form a religious society for the support of the cath-
olic faith. The Popes, who knew how to avail
themselves of enthusiasm in church government,
directed this grand spring of human action to secu-
lar purposes, and, by canonizing the founder, and
arranging the order, elevated the society in a few
years, to a height that astonished all Europe. It
was one opinion of their society, that the authority
of kings is inferior to that of the people, and that
they may be punished by the people in certain ca-

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xlv

ses. It was another maxim with them, that sove-
reign princes have received from the hand of God
a sword to punisli heretics. The Jesuits did not
invent these doctrines ; but they drew such conse-
quences from them as were most prejudicial to the
public tranquility: for, from the conjunction of
these two principles, they concluded that an heret-
ical prince ought to be deposed, and that heresy
ought to be extirpated by fire and sword, in case it
could not be extiipated otherwise. In co nformity
to the first of these principles, two kings of France
had been murdered successively, under pretext that
they were fautors of heretics. The parlia- ^.^
ment in this reign condemned this as a per-
nicious tenet, and declared that the authority of
monarclis was dependent only on God. But the
last principle, that related to the extirpation of her-
esy, as it flattered the court and the clergy, came
into vogue. Jus clivinum was the test of sound or-
thodoxy ; and this reasoning became popular argu-
mentation. Princes may put heretics to death ; there-
fore they OUGHT to put them to death,

Richlieu, who had wriggled himself into power,
by publishing a scandalous libel on the protestants
of France, advised the king to establish his author-
ity, by extirpating the intestine evils of the king-
dom. He assured his majesty that the Hugonots
bad the power of doing him mischief, and that it
was a principle with them, that kings might be de-
posed by the people. The protestants replied to his
invectives, and exposed the absurdity of his reason-
ing. Richlieu reasoned thus. John Knox, the

xlvi Memoirs of the Reformation in France,

Scotch reformer, did not believe the divine author-
ity of kings. Calvin held a correspondence with
Knox, therefore Calvin did not believe it. The
French reformed church derived its doctrine from
Calvin's church of Geneva, therefore the first Hu-
fi'onots did not believe it. The first Huo-onots did
not believe it, therefore the present Hugonots do
not believe it. No man, who valued the reputation
of a man of sense, would have scaled the walls of
preferment with such a ridiculous ladder as this !

The king, intoxicated with despotic principles, fol-
lowed the fatal advice of his minister, and began
with his patrimonial province of Beam, where he
caused the catholic religion to be establish-
ed. The Hugonots broke out into vio-
lence, at this attack on their liberties, whence the
king took an opportunity to recover several places
from them, and at last made peace with them on con-
dition of their demolishing all their fortifications
except those of Montauban and Rochelle. Arnoux,
the Jesuit, who was a creature of Richlieu's, was,
at that time, confessor to Lewis the just.

The politic Richlieu invariably pursued his de-
sign of rendering his master absolute. By one art
he subdued the nobility, by another the parliaments,
and, as civil and religious liberty live and die to-
gether, he had engines of all sorts to extirpate her-
esy. He pretended to have formed the design of
re-uniting the two churches of protestants and cath-
olics. He drew^ off from the protestant party the
dukes of Sully, Bouillon, Lesdeguieres, Rohan, and
many of the first quality : for he had the world, and

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xlvii

Its glory to go to market withal ; and he had to do
with a race of men, w ho were very different from
their ancestors. Most of them had either died for
their profession, or had fled out of the kingdom, and
several of them had submitted to practise mean
trades, in foreign countries, for their support : But
these were endeavoring to serve God and mammon,
and his eminence was a fit casuist for such conscien-
ces.

The protestants had resolved, in a general assem-
bly, to die rather than to submit to the loss of their
liberties : but their king was weak, their prime minis-
ter was wicked, their clerical enemies were power-
ful and implacable, and they were obliged to bear
those infractions of edicts, which their oppressors
made every day. At length Richlieu determined
to put a period to their hopes, by the taking of Ro-
chelle. The city was besieged both by sea and
land, and the efforts of the besieged were at last
overcome by famine,^ they had lived without bread
for thirteen weeks, and, of eighteen thousand citi-
zens, there were not above five thousand left. The
strength of the protestants was broken by
this stroke. Montauban agreed now to
demolish its works, and the just king confirmed
anew the perpetual ^nd irrevocable edict of Nantz, as
far as it concerned a free exercise of religion.

The Cardinal, not content with temporal power,
had still another claim on the protestants, of a spirit-
ual kind. Cautionary towns must be given up to
that, and conscience to this. He suffered the edict
to be infringed every day, and he w as determined

xlviii Memoirs of the Reformation in France,

not to stop till he had established an uniformity in the
church, without the obtaining of which, he thought,
tliat something was wanting to his master's power.
The protestants did all that prudence could suggest.
They sent the famous Amyraut to court to
complain to the king of the infraction of
their edicts. Mr. Amyraut was a proper person to
go on this business. He had an extreme attach-
ment to the doctrine of passive obedience. This ren-
dered him agreeable to the court: and he had de-
clared for no obedience in matters of conscience,
and this made him dear to the protestants. The sy-
nod ordered him not to make his speech to the king
kneeling, as the deputies of the former synod had
done : but to procure the restoring of the privilege,
which they formerly enjoyed, of speaking to the
king, standing as the other ecclesiastics of the king-
dom were allowed to do. The cardinal strove, for
a whole fortnight, to make Amyraut submit to this
tacit acknowledgment of the clerical character in
the popish clergy, and of the want of it in the re-
formed ministers. But Amyraut persisted in this
claim, and was introduced to the king as the synod
had desired. The whole court was charmed with
the deputy's talents and deportment. Richlieu had
many conferences with him, and, if negociation
could have accommodated the dispute betv. een ar-
bitrary power and upright consciences, it would
have been settled now. He was treated with the
utmost politeness, and dismissed. If he had not the
pleasure of reflecting that he had obtained the liber-
ty of his party, he had, however, the peace that

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, xllx

ariseth from a consciousness of having used a proper
mean to obtain it. The same mean was tried, some
time after, by the inimitable Du Bosc, whom his
countrymen call a pekfect orator, but alas ! he was
eloquent in vain.

The affairs of the protestants waxed every day
woi^e and worse. They saw the clouds gathering,
and they dreaded the weight of the storm : but they
knew not whither to flee. Some fled to England,
but no peace was there. Laud, the tyrant of the
English church, had a Richlieu's heart without his
head, he persecuted them, and, in conjunction with
Wren, and other such churchmen, drave them back
to the infinite damage of the manufactures of the
kingdom. It nmst affect every liberal eye
to see such Professors as Amyraut, Cappel,
and De La Place, such ministers as Mestrezat and
Blondel, who would have been an honor to any
community, driven to the sad alternative of flying
their country, or of violating their consciences. But
their time was not yet fully come.

Cardinal Richlieu's hoary head went down to the
grave, without the tears of his master, and
with the hatred of all France. The king
soon followed him, complaining in the ^^^^'
words of Job, my soul is weary of my life. The
protestants had increased greatly in numbers in this
reign, though they had lost their power : for they
were now computed to exceed two millions. So
true is it, that violent measures in religion weaken
the church that employs them.

VOL. I. 7

1 Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

Lewis Xiy. was only in the fifth year of his age
at the demise of his father. The queen-mother
was appointed sole regent during his minority, and
Cardinal Mazarine, a creature of Richlieu's, was
her prime minister. The edict of Nantz was con-
firmed by the regent, and again by the king

I652! ^^ h^^ majority. But it was always the cool

determination of the minister to follow the

late Cardinal's plan, and to revoke it as soon as he

could, and he strongly impressed the mind of the

king with the expediency of it.

Lewis, who was a perfect tool to the Jesuits, fol-
lowed the advice of Mazarine, of his confessors,
and of the clergy about him, and as soon as he took

, , the management of affairs into his own

1661. ^

hands, he made a firm resolution to destroy
the Protestants. He tried to weaken them by buy-
ing ofl their great men, and he had but too much
success. Some, indeed, were superior to this state-
trick, and it was a noble answer which the Marquis
de Bougy gave, when he was offered a marshal's
staff, and any government that he might make
choice of, provided he would turn papist. " Could
I be prevailed on, said he, to betray my God, for
a marshal of France's staff, I might betray my king
for a thing of much less consequence : but I will do
neither of them, but rejoice to find that my servi-
ces are acceptable, and that the religion, which I
profess, is the only obstacle to my reward." Was
his majesty so little versed in the knowledge of man-
kind, as not to know that saleable virtue is seldom
worth buying ?

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, li

The king used another art as mean as the former.
He exhorted the bishops to take care, that the points
in controversy betwixt the catholics and calvinists
should be much insisted on by the clergy, in their
sermons, especially in those places that were most-
ly inhabited by the latter, and that a good number
of missionaries should be sent among them, to con-
vei-t them to the religion of their ancestors. It
should seem, at first view, that the exercise of his
majesty's power in this w ay would be formidable
to the protestants, for, as the king had the nomina-
tion of eighteen archbishops, a hundred and nine
bishops, and seven hundred and fifty abbots, and as
these dignitaries governed the inferior clergy, it is
easy to see that all the Popish clergy of France
were creatures of the court, and several of them
were men of good learning. But the protestants
had no fears on this head. They were excellent
scholars, masters of the controversy, hearty in the
service, and the mortifications, to which they had
been long accustomed, had taught them that tempe-
rate coolness, which is so essential in the investiga-
ting and supporting of truth. They published,
therefore, unanswerable arguments for theii- non-
conformity. The famous Mr. Claude, pastor of the
church at Charenton, near Paris, wrote a defence of
the reformation, which all the clergy of France could
not answer. The bishops however, answered the
protestants all at once, by procuring an edict which
forbad them to print.

The king, in prosecution of his design, excluded
the calvinists from his household, and from all oth-

lii Metnoirs of the JReformation in France.

er employments of honor and profit, he ordered all
the courts of justice, erected by virtue of the edict
of Nantz, to be abolished, and, in lieu of them,
made several laws in favor of the catholic religion,
which debarred from all liberty of abjuring the
catholic doctrine, and restrained those protestants,
who had embraced it, from retm^ning to their for-
mer opinions, under severe punishments. He or-
dered soldiers to be quartered in their houses till
they changed their religion. He shut up their
churches, and forbad the ministerial function to
their clergy, and, where his commands were not
readily obeyed, he levelled their churches
Oct 22 "^^'i^h ^^^ ground. At last he revoked the
1685. edict of Nantz, and banished them from the

kingdom.
" A thousand dreadful blows, says Mr. Saurin,
were struck at our afflicted churches, before that
which destroyed them : for our enemies, if I may
use such an expression, not content with seeing our
ruin, endeavoured to taste it. One while, edicts
were published against those, w^ho, foreseeing the
calamities that threatened our churches, and not
Laving pow er to prevent them, desired only the sad
consolation of not being spectators of their ruin.
j^ Another w^hile, against those, who, through
1669. their weakness,, had denied their religion,
^^ and who not being able to bear the remorse
1679. of tlieir consciences, desired to return to
their first profession. One while, our pas-
tors were forbidden to exercise their discipline
on those of their flocks, who had abjured the

Memoirs of the Reformation in France. liii

truth. Another while, children of seven June,
years of age were allowed to embrace doc-
trines, which, the church of Rome says, are
not level to the capacities of adults. Noav June,
a college was suppressed, and then a church
shut up. Sometimes we were forbidden to J^"-

1 CO o

convert infidels ; and sometimes to confirm
those in the truth, whom we had instructed from
their infancy, and our pastors were forbidden to ex-
ercise their pastoral office any longer in one j^,
place than three years. Sometimes the I685.
printing of our books was prohibited, and
sometimes those which we had printed were ^^P^-
taken aw^ay. One while, we were not suf-
fered to preach in a church, and another while, we
were punished for preaching on its ruins, and at
length were forbidden to worship God in
public at all. Now we were banished, J^^*;

, ^ ^ 1685.

then we were forbidden to quit the king- i689.
dom on pain of death. Here we saw the
glorious rewards of those who betrayed their re-
ligion ; and there we beheld those, who had the
courage to confess it, a haling to a dungeon, a
scaffold, or a galley. Here, we saw our perse-
cutors drawing on a sledge the dead bodies of
those who had expired on the rack. There,
we beheld a false friar tormenting a dying man,
who was terrified, on the one hand, with the
fear of hell if he should apostatize, and, on the
other, with the fear of leaving his children without
bread, if he should continue in the faith : yonder,
they w^ere tearing children from their parents, while

Ivi Memoirs of the Reformation in France.

king of their fortunes : but we have nothing to do
with these private views, the questions are, Was it
essential to the general safety and happiness of the
kingdom ? Was it agreeable to the unalterable dic-
tates of right reason ? Was it consistent with the
sound, approved maxims of civil policy ? In these
views, we venture to say, that the repeal of the edict
of Nantz, which had been the security of the pro-
testants, was an action irrational and irreligious,
inhuman and ungrateful, perfidious, impolitic, and
weak. If respect to religion, and right reason, were
to compose a just title for the perpetrator of such
a crime, it might call him, a most inhuman tyrant :
certainly it would not call him, a most Christian king.
It was an irrational act, for there was no fitness
between the punishment and the supposed crime.
The crime was a mental error : but penal laws have
no internal operation on the mind. It was irreli-
gious, for religion ends where persecution begins.
An action may begin in religion : but when it pro-
ceeds to injure a person, it ceaseth to be religion, it
is only a denomination, and a method of acting. It
was inhuman, for it caused the most savage cruel-
ties. It was as ungrateful in the house of Bour-
bon to murder their old supporters, as it was mag-
nanimous in the protestants, under their severest
persecutions, to tell their murderer, that they
thought that blood well employed, which had been
spilt in supporting the just claim of the house of
Bourbon to the throne. It was, to the last degree,
perfidious, for the edict of Nantz had been given by
Henry IV, for a perpetual, and irrevocable decree ;

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, Ivii

it had been confirmed by the succeeding princes,
and Lewis XIV, himself had assigned in the de-
claration the loyalty of the protestants, as a reason
of the confirmation. My subjects of the pretended
reformed religion, says he, have given me unques-
tionable proofs of their affection and loyalty. It
had been sworn to by the governors and lieuten-
ants general of the provinces, by the courts of par-
liament, and by all the officers of- the courts of
justice. What national perjury ! Is it enough to
say as this perjured monarch did. My grandfather
Henry IV, loved you, and w^as obliged to you.
My father, Lewis XIII. feared you, and wanted
your assistance. But I neither love you, nor fear
you, and do not want your services ? The ill poli-
cy of it is confessed on all sides. Where is the pol-
icy of banishing eight hundred thousand people,
who declare that a free exercise of religion ought
not to injure any man's civil rights, and, on this
principle, support thfe king's claim to the crown, as
long as he executes the duty of the office ? Where
is the policy of doing this in order to secure a set of
men, who openly avow these propositions, " the Pope
is superior to all law : It is right to kill that prince,
whom the Pope excommunicates : If a prince be-
come an Arian, the people ought to depose him ?"
Where is the policy of banishing men, whose doc-
trines have kept in the kingdom, during the space
of tw^o hundred and Miy years, the sum of two hun-
dred and fifty millions of livres, which, at a mode-
rate calculation, would otherwise have gone to
Rome for indulgencies, and annates, and other such

VOL. T. 8

Iviii Memoirs of the Reformation in France,

trash ? Who was the politician, the Count d'Avaux",'
who, while he was ambassador in Holland, offered
-P to prove that the refugees had carried out

1685 of France more than twenty millions of
^^ property, and advised the king to recall it,
by recalling its owners ? or the king, who
refused to avail himself of this advice ? Who was
the politician, the intolerant Lewis, who drove his
protestant soldiers and sailors out of his service ?
or the benevolent prince of Orange, who, in one
year, raised three regiments of French refugee sol-
diers, commanded by their own officers, and man-
ned three vessels, at the same time, with refugee
sailors, to serve the Dutch, while France Avanted
men to equip her fleets? The protestants, having
been for some time, excluded from all offices, and
not being suffered to enjoy any civil or military
employments, had applied themselves either to the
manufactures, or to the improving of their money
in trade. W^as it policy to banish a Mons. Vincent,
who employed more than five hundred workmen ?
W^as it policy on the side of that prince, who de-
molished manufactories ? or on the side of those
who set them up, by receiving the refugee manu-
facturers into tlieir kingdoms ? Had England deriv-
ed no more advantage from its hospitality to the
refugees than the silk manufacture, it would have
amply repaid the nation. The memorials of the in-
tend ants of the provinces were full of such com-
plaints. The intendant of Rouen said that
tlie refugees had carried away the manu-
facture of hats. The intendant of Poitiers said that

Memoirs of the Reformation in France, lix

ihey had taken away the manufacture of drug-
gets. In some provinces the commerce was di«
minished several millions of livres in a year, and
in some half the revenue was sunk. Was it policy
in Ihe king to provoke the protestant states, and
princes, who had always been his faithful allies a-
gainst the house of Austria, and, at the same time,
to supply them with eight hundred thousand new
sul jects ? After ^11, it was a weak and foolish step,
for the protestants were not extirpated. There re-
mained almost as many in the kingdom as were
driven out of it, and, even at this day, though now
and then a preacher hath been hanged, and now and
then a family murdered, yet the opulent province
of Languedoc is full of protestants, the Lutherans
have the university of Alsace, neither art nor cruel-
ty can rid the kingdom of them, and some of th6
greatest ornaments of France now plead for a free

TOLERATIO.V.

Tlie refugees charge their banishment on the
clergy of France, and they give very good proof of
their assertion, nor do they mistake, when they af-
firm that their sufferings are a part of the religion
of Rome, for Pope Innocent XI. highly approved
of this persecution. He wrote a brief to the king,
in which he assured him that what he had done
ao;ainst the heretics of his kino;dom w ould be im-
mortalized by the elogies of the catholic church.
He delivered a discourse in the consistory,
in which he said, the most Christian king's i^'^g^ '
^eal, and piety, did wonderfully appear in
extirpating luresi/, ojid in cleaning his whole kingdom

Ix Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Saurin,

of it in a very few months. He ordered Te Deum
to be sung, to give thanks to God for this return of
the heretics into the pale of the church, which was
accordingly done with great pomp. If this perse-
cution were clerical policy, it was bad, and,
if it were the religion of the French clergy,
it was worse. In either case the church procured
great evil to the state. Lewis XIV. w^as
on the pinnacle of glory at the conclusion
of the peace of Nimeguen, his dominion was, as it
were, established over all Europe, and was become
an inevitable prejudice to neighbouring nations;
but, here he began to extirpate heresy, and here he
began to fall, nor has the nation ever recovered its
grandeur since.

Protestant powers opened their arms to these
venerable exiles. Abbadie, Ancillon, and others,
fled to Berlin. Basnage, Claude, Du Bosc, and
many more, found refuge in Holland. The famous
Dr. Allix, with numbers of his brethren, came to
England. A great many families w^ent to Geneva,
among which was that of Saurin.

Mr. Saurin, the father of our author, w as an em-
inent protestant lawyer at Nismes, who, after the
repeal of the edict of Nantz, retired to Gen-
eva. He w^as considered at Geneva as the
oracle of the French language, the nature and beau-
ty of which he thoroughly understood. He had
four sons, whom he trained up in learning, and who
were all so remarkably eloquent, that eloquence
was said to be hereditary in the family. The Rev-
erend Lewis Saurin, one of the sons, was afterwards

Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Saurin. Ixi

pastor of a French church in London. Saurin, the
father, died at Geneva. .James, the author of the
follow in o; sermons, was born at JNismes, and

. 1677.

went with his father into exile, to Geneva,
where he profited very much in learning.

In the seventeenth year of his age, Sau- 1694
rin quitted his studies to go into the army, and made
a campaign as a cadet in lord Galloway's company.
The next year his captain gave him a pair
of colours in his regiment, which then serv-
ed in Piedmont: But the year after, the
duke of Savoy, under whom Saurin served, ^
having made his peace with France, Saurin Cjuitted
the profession of arms, for which he was never de-
signed, and returned to Geneva to study.

Geneva was, at that time, the residence of some
of the best scholars in Europe, w ho were in the
highest estimation in the republic of letters. Pictet,
Lewis Tronchin, and Philip Mestrezat, were pro-
fessors of divinity .there, Alphonso Turretin was
professor of sacred history, and Chouet, who was
afterward taken from his professorship, and admit-
ted into the government of the republic, was profes-
sor of natural philosophy. The other departments
were filled with men, equally eminent in their sev-
eral professions. Some of them were natives of
Geneva, others were exiles from Italy and France,
several were of noble families, and all of them were
men of eminent piety. Under these great masters,
Saurin became a student, and particularly applied
himself to divinity, as he now began to think of de-

Ixii Memoirs o/ the Life of Mr, Saurin,

votino; himself to the ministry. To dedi-
cate one's self to the ministry in a wealthy,
flourishing church, where rich benefices are every
day becoming vacant, requires vtry little virtue,
and sometimes only a strong propensity to vice :
but to choose to be a minister in such a poor, ban-
ished, persecuted church as that of the French pro-
testants, argues a noble contempt of the world, and
a supreme love to God, and to the souls of men.
These are the best testimonials, however, of a young
minister, whose profession is not to enrich, but to
save himself and them who hear him, 1 Tim. iv. 16.
After Mr. Saurin had finished his studies,
he visited Holland, and England. In the
first he made a very short stay : but in the last he
staid almost five years, and preached with great
acceptance among his fellow exiles in London.
His dress was that of the French clergy, the gown
and cassock. His address was perfectly gen-
teel, a happy compound of the affable and the
grave, at an equal distance from rusticity and fop-
pery. His voice was strong, clear, and harmonious,
and he never lost the manaojement of it. His style
was pure, unaffected, and eloquent, sometimes plain,
and sometimes flowery : but never improper, as it
was always adapted to the audience, for whose sake
he spoke. An Italian acquaintance of mine, who
often heard him at the Hague, tells me that in the
introductions of his sermons he used to deliver him-
self in a tone modest and low ; in the body of the
sermon, which was adapted to the understanding,
he was plain, clear, and argumentative, pausing at

Memoirs of the Life of Mr, Saurht, Ixiii

the close of each period, that he might discover,
by the countenances and motions of his hearers,
whether they were convinced by his reasoning ; in
his addresses to the wicked, (and it is a folly to
preach as if there were none in our assemblies,
Mr. Saurin knew mankind too well) he was of-
ten sonorous, but oftener a weeping suppliant at
their feet. In the one he sustained the authorita-
tive dignity of his office, in the other he expressed
his master's, and his own benevolence to bad men,
praying them in Christ's stead to he reconciled to God,
2 Cor. V. 20. In general, adds my friend, his
preaching resembled a plentiful shower of dew,
softly and imperceptibly insinuating itself into the
minds of his numerous hearers, as the dew into the
pores of plants, till the whole church was dissolv-
ed, and all in tears under his sermons. His doc-
trine was that of the French protestants, which at
that time, was moderate Calvinism. He approved
of the discipline of his own churches, which was
presbyterian. He was an admirable scholar, and,
-which were his highest encomiums, he had an un-
conquerable aversion to sin, a supreme love to God,
and to the souls of men, and a holy, unblemished
life. Certainly he had some faults : but, as I never
heard of any, I can publish none.

During his stay in England, he married
a Miss Catherine Boy ton, by whom he had
a son, named Philip, who survived him ; but wheth-
er he had any more children I know not.
Two years after his marriage he returned

Ixiv Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Saurin.

to Holland, where he had a mind to settle : but, the
pastoral offices being all full, and meeting with no
prospect of a settlement, though his preaching was
received with universal applause, he was preparing
to return to England, when a chaplainship to some
of the nobility at the Hague, with a stipend, was
offered to him. Tlis situation exactly suited his
wishes, an*^] he accepted the place.

1705. The Hague, it is said, is the finest village
in Europe. It is the residence of the vStates Gene-
ral, of ambassadors, and envoys from other courts,
of a great number of nobility, and gentry, and of
a multitude of French refugees. The princes of
Orange have a spacious palace here, and the chapel
of the palace was given to the refugees for a place
of public worship, and, it being too small to con-
tain them, it w as enlarged by above a half. This
French church called him to be one of their pastors.
He accepted the call, and continued in his office
till his death. He w^as constantly attended by a
very crowded and brilliant audience, was heard
wuth the utmost attention and pleasure, and, what
few ministers can say, the effects of his ministerial
labours were seen in the holy lives of great numbers
of his people.

When the princess of Wales, afterward Queen
Caroline, passed through Holland, in her way to
England, Mr. Saurin had the honor of paying his
respects to that illustrious lady. Her royal high-
ness was pleased to single him out from the rest of
the clergy, who were present, and to say to him,
'' Do not imagine that, being dazzled with the glory

Memoirs of the Life of Mr, Saurin, Ixv

which this revolution seems to promise me, I have
lost sight of that God from whom it proceeds. He
hath been pleased to distinguish it with so many ex-
traordinary marks, that I cannot mistake his divine
hand ; and, as I consider this long train of favors as
immediately coming from him, to Him alone I con-
secrate them." It is not astonishing, if Saurin
speaks of this condescension with rapture. They
are the kind and Christian actions of the governors
of a free people, and not the haughty airs of a
French tyrant, insulting his slaves, that attach and
inflame the hearts of mankind. The history of this
illustrious Christian queen is not written in blood,
and therefore it is always read with tears of grate-
ful joy.

Her royal highness was so well satisfied of Mr.
Saurin' s merit, that soon after her arrival in Eng-
land, she ordered Dr. Boulter, who was preceptor
lo prince Frederic, the father of his present majes-
ty, to write to Saurin, to draw up a treatise on the
education of princes. Saurin immediately obeyed
the order, and prefixed a dedication to the young
princes. The book w as never printed : but, as it
obtained the approbation of the princess of Wales,
Avho was an incomparable judge, we may conclude
that it was excellent in its kind. This was follow-
ed by a handsome present from the princess to the
author. His most considerable work was entitled
Discourses historical, critical and moral, on the most
memorable events of the Old and New Testament,
This work was undertaken by the desire of a
Dutch merchant, who expended an immense sum

VOL, I. 9

Ixvi Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Saurin,

in the engraving of a multitude of copper plates,
which adorn the work. It consists of six folio vol-
umes. Mr. Saurin died before the third was fin-
ished : but iMr. Roques finished the third, and ad-
ded a fourth on the Old Testament; and Mr. de
Beausobre subjoined two on the New Testament.
The whole is replete with very extensive learning,
and well worth the careful perusal of students in
divinity. The first of these was translated into
English by Chamberlayne, soon after its first pub-
lication in French.

His dissertation on the expediency of sometimes dis-
guising the truth, raised a furious clamour against
our author. He does not decide the question: but
he seems to take the affirmative. This produced a
paper war, and his antagonists unjustly censured
his morals. The mildness of his disposition render-
ed him a desirable opponent, for though he was
sure to conquer, yet he subdued his adversary so
handsomely, that the captive was the better for his
defeat. But others did not controvert with so much
temper. Some wrote against him, others for him.
At length the synod decided the dispute in his fa-
vour.

He published a small, but valuable piece on the
state of Christianity in France, It treats of many
important points of religion, in controversy between
the catholics and protestants.

There are twelve volumes of his sermons. Some
are dedicated to his Majesty George II. and the
king was pleased to allow him a handsome pension.
Some to her majesty dueen Caroline, while she

Memoirs of the Life of 3Ir. Saurin. Ixvii

was princess of Wales. One to Count Wassanaer, a
Dutch nobleman. Two were dedicated to her Ma-
jesty, after his decease by his son. Professor Du-
mont, and Mr. Husson, to whom Mr. Saurin left his
manuscripts, published the rest, and one volume is
dedicated to the Countess Dowager of Albemarle.

The English seem therefore to have a right to
the labours of this great man.

Mr. Sam in died at the Hague on Dec. 30th, 1730,
most sincerely regretted by all his acquaintances,
as well as by his chmch, who lost in him a truly
primitive Christian minister, who spent his life, in
watching over his flock, as one who knew that he
must give an account.

In regard to this translation, it was first underta-
ken by the desire of a small circle of private friends,
for our mutual edification. If I have suffered my
private opinion to be prevailed over by others, to
print this translation, it is not [because I think my-
self able to give language to Saurin : but because I
humbly hope that the sentiments of the author may
be conveyed to the reader, by this translation. His
sentiments, I think, are, in general, those of the ho-
ly scripture, and his manner of treating them well
adapted to impress them on the heart. I have en-
deavoured not to disguise his meaning, though I
have not been able to adopt his style, for which de-
fect, though I print them by private subscription,
for the use of my friends, on whose candour I de-
pend, yet I do not offer to publish them to the world,
for the language of Mr. Saurin. I should have
been glad to have pleased every subscriber, by in-

Ixviii Memoirs of the Life of Mr, Sauriih

serting those sermons, which were most agreeable
to him, had I known which they were : but as this
was impossible, I have followed my own judgment,
or perhaps exposed my want of it. The first volume
aims to secure the doctrine of a God, against the at-
tacks of atheists. In the second we mean to plead for
the holy scriptures against deists. In the third, we
intend to take those sermons, which treat of the
doctrines of Christianity, as we humbly conceive
that the New Testament is somethinfj more than a
system of moral philosophy. And the last volume
we dedicate to moral subjects, because we think
Christianity a holy religion, productive of moral
obedience in all its true disciples. May the God of
all grace bless the reading of them to the weaken-
ing of the dominion of sin, and to the advancement
of the kingdom of our blessed Redeemer, Jesus
Chi'ist.

R. ROBINSON,

Chesterton near Cambridge,
April 15th, 1775.

SERMON I.

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

Heb. v. 12, 13, 14,— vi. 1, 2, 3.

For ivhenfor the time ye ought to he teachers, ye have
need that one teach you again, which he the first
principles of the oracles of God, and are hecome
such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useih milk is unskilful in the
word of righteousness : for he is a hahe. But
strong meat helongeth to them that are of fidl agCy
even those who hy reason of age have their senses
exercised, to discern hoth good and evil, — Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let
us GO ON UNTO PERFECTION, uot laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of
faith towards God, of the doctrine of haptisms, and
of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment. And this jvill we
do if God permit.

I HAVE put two subjects together which are
closely connected, and I intend to explain both in
this discourse. The last part of the text is a con-
sequence of the first. In the first, St. Paul reproves
some Christians for their little knowledge ; in the

70 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge,

last, he exhorts them to increase it : and the con-
nection of both will appear, if you attend to the
subject under his consideration. The epistle to the
Hebrews, which may be considered as the apostle's
principal w ork, treats of the most difficult points of
divinity and morality. In particular, this is the
idea that must be formed of Melchisedec's priest-
hood, as a prefiguration of Jesus Christ's. This
mysterious subject the Apostle had begun to dis-
cuss, but he had not proceeded far in it before he
found himself at a stand, by recollecting the char-
acter of those to whom he was writing. He de-
scribes them, in the text, as men who were grown
old in the profession of Christianity indeed, but
w^ho knew nothing more of it than its first princi-
ples : and he endeavors to animate them with the
laudable ambition of penetrating the noblest parts
of that excellent system of religion, which Jesus
Christ had published, and which his apostles had
explained in all its beauty, and in all its extent.

This general notion of St. Paul's design, in the
words of my text, is the best comment on his mean-
ing, and the best explication that we can give of
his terms.

By the first principles of the oracles of God, to
which the Hebrews confined themselves, the apos-
tle means the rudiments of that science of which
God is the object ; that is. Christian divinity and
morality : and these rudiments are here also called
the principles of Christ,^ that is, the first principles

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge. 71

of that doctrine which Jesus Christ had taught.
These are compared to milky which is given to chil-
dren incapable of digesting strong meat ; and they
are opposed to the profound knowledge of those
who have been habituated by long exercise to study
and meditation, or, as the apostle expresseth it,
" who by reason of use have their senses exercised
to discern both good and evil."

In this class St. Paul places, first, repentance from
dead works, and faith towards God. These were the
first truths which the heralds of the gospel preached
to their hearers : to them they said, Repent and be-
lieve the gospel.

St. Paul places in the same class, secondly, the
doctrine of baptisms, that is, the confession of faith
that w as required of those who had resolved to pro-
fess Christianity and to be baptized. Of such per-
sons a confession was required, and their answers to
certain questions were demanded. The formularies
that have been used on this occasion, have been ex-
tremely diversified at difierent places and in differ-
ent times, but the most ancient are the shortest and
the most determinate. One question that was put
to the catechumen, was, " Dost thou renounce the
devil ?" to which he answered, " I renounce him."
Another was, " Dost thou believe in Jesus Christ?"
to which he replied, " I believe in him." St. Cy-
prian calls these questions the baptismal interroga-
tory; and the answers are called by Tertullian /Ae
answer of salvation : and we have a passage upon
this article in an author still more respectable, I
mean St. Peter, who says, " Baptism doth also now

72 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

save us, not the putting away the filth of the flesh,
but the answer of a good conscience towards God,"
1 Peter iii. 21. that is, the answer which w^as given
by the catechumen before his baptism.

Thirdly, Among the rudiments or first principles
of Christianity, St. Paul puts the laying on of hands,
by which Ave understand the gift of miracles, which
the apostles communicated by imposition of hands
to those who embraced the gospel. We have sev-
eral instances of this in scripture, and a particular
account of it in the eighth chapter of Acts, verses
11, 12, 14, 17. It is there said, that Philip, having
undeceived many of the Samaritans, whom Simon
the sorcerer had of a long time bewitched, baptised
both men and women, and that the apostles, Peter
and John, laid their hands on them, and by that cer-
emony communicated to them the gifts of the Holy
Ghost.

The resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment^
two other articles which St. Paul places in the same
class : Articles believed by the weakest Christians,
received by the greatest part of the Jews, and ad-
mitted by even many of the heathens. Now the
apostle wishes that the Hebrews, leaving these prin-
ciples, would aspire to be perfect. Let us go on unto
perfection, says he, let us proceed from the catechu-
men state to a thorough acquaintance with that re-
ligion, which is wisdom among them that are perfect ;
that is, a system of doctrine which cannot be well
understood by any except by such as the heathens
call perfect. They denominated those perfect, who
did not rest in a superficial knowledge of a science,

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge, 73

but who endeavored thoroughly to understand the
whole. This was the design of St. Paul in writing
to the Hebrews ; and this is our's in addressing you.

We will endeavor, first, to give you as exact and
adequate a notion as we can of Christian divinity
and morality, and from thence to infer, that you
can neither see the beauty, nor reap the benefit of
either of them, while you confine yourselves, as
mosl of you do, to a few loose principles, and con-
tinue unacquainted with the whole system or body
of reliction.

Secondly, We will enquire, why so many of us
do confine our attention to these first truths, and
never proceed to the rest.

Lastly, We will give you some directions how to
increase your knowledge, and to attain that perfec-
tion to which St. Paul endeavored to conduct the
Hebrews. This is the whole that we propose to
treat of in this discourse.

I, It is evident from the nature of Christianity,
that you can neither see its beauties, nor reap its
benefits, while you attend only to some loose prin-
ciples, and do not consider the whole system : for
the truths of religion form a system, a body of co-
herent doctrines, closely connected, and in perfect
harmony. Nothing better distinguisheth the accu-
rate judgment of an orator, or a philosopher, than
the connection of his orations or systems. Uncon-
nected systems, orations, in which the author is de-
termined only by caprice and chince, as it Avere, to
place the p oposition which follows after that which
precedes, and that which precedes before that which

VOL. I. 10

74 The Perfection of Christian Knorvledge,

follows ; such orations and systems are less worthy
of rational beings, than of creatures destitute of in-
telligence, whom nature has formed capable of pro-
ducing sounds indeed, but not of forming ideas.
Orations and systems should be connected: each
part should occupy the place which order and accu-
racy, not caprice and chance, assign it. They
should resemble buildings constructed according to
the rules of art; the laws of which are never arbi-
trary, but fixed and inviolable, founded on the na-
ture of regularity and proportion : or, to use St.
Paul's expression, each should be " a body fitly
joined together, and compacted by that which eve-
ry joint supplieth," Eph. iv. 16.

Let us apply this to the subject in hand. No-
thing better proves the divinity of religion, than
the connexion, the harmony, the agreement of its
component parts. I am aware that this grand char-
acteristic of Christianity hath occasioned many mis-
takes among mankind. Under pretence that a re-
ligion proceeding from God must harmonize in its
component parts, men have licentiously contrived
a chain of propositions to please themselves. They
have substituted a phantom of their own imagina-
tion, for that body of doctrine which God hath giv-
en us in the holy scriptures. — Hence so much ob-
stinacy in maintaining, after so much rashness and
presumption in advancing such phantoms. For, my
brethren, of all obstinate people, none excel more
in their dreadful kind, than those who are prejudi-
ced in favour of certain systems. A man who does
not tiiink himself capable of forming a connected

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge, 15

system, can bear contradiction, because, if he be
obliged to give up some of the propositions which
he hath advanced, some others which he embraces
w^ill not be disputed, and what remains may indem-
nify him for what he surrenders. But a man pre-
possessed with an imaginary system of his own has
seldom so much teachableness. He knows, that if
one link be taken aw ay his chain falls to pieces ;
and that there is no removing a single stone from
his building without destroying the whole edifice :
he considers the upper skins which covered the tab-
ernacle, as typical as the ark in the holy place, or
the mercy-seat itself. The staff with which Jacob
passed over Euphrates, and of which he said, " with
my staff I passed over this river," seems to him as
much designed by the Spirit of God to typify the
cross on which Jesus Christ redeemed the church,
as the serpent of brass w hich was lifted up in the
desert by the express command of God himself.

But if infatuation with systems hath occasioned
so many disorders in the church, the opposite dis-
position, I mean, the obstinate rejection of all, or
the careless composition of some, hath been equal-
ly hurtful : for it is no less dano;erous, in a svstem
of religion, to omit what really belongs to it, than
to incorporate any thing foreign from it.

Let us be more explicit. There are two sorts of
truths in religion; truths of speculation, and truths
of practice. Each truth is connected not only w itli
other truths in its own class, but truths of the first
class are connected with those of the second, and
of these parts thus united is composed that admi'

76 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

rable body of doctrine which forms the system of
religion.

There are in religion some truths of speculation.
There is a chain of doctrines. God is holy : this is
the first truth. A holy God can have no intimate
communion with unholy creatures: this is a second
truth which follows from the first. God, who can
have no communion with unholy creatures can have
no comnumion with men who are unholy creatures :
this is a third truth which follow^s from the second.
Men, who are unholy creatures, being incapable
as such of communion with the happy God, must
on that very account be entirely miserable : this is
a fourth truth which folio avs from the third.

Men, who must be absolutely miserable because
they can have no communion with the holy, happy
God, become objects of the compassion of that God,
w^ho is as loving and merciful as he is happy and
holy : this is a fifth truth w hich follows from the
fourth. This loving and merciful God is naturally
inclined to relieve a multitude of his creatures,
who are ready to be plunged into the deepest mis-
eries : this is a sixth truth which follows from the
fifth.

Thus follow the thread of Jesus Christ's theolo-
gy, and you will find, as I said, each part that com-
poseth it, depending on another, and every one giv-
ing another the hand. For, from the loving and
merciful inclination of God to relieve a multitude
of his creatures from a threatening abyss of the
deepest miseries, follows the mission of Jesus
Christ ; because it was fit that the remedy chosen of

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge, 77

God to relieve the miseries of men should bear a
proportion to the causes which produced it. From
the doctrine of Jesus Christ's mission follows tlie ne-
cessity of the Spirit of God : because it would have
been impossible for men to have discovered by tlieir
own speculations the way of salvation, unless tliey
had been assisted by a supernatural revelation, ac-
cording to that saying, *' I'iiings whicli eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into
the heart of man, God hath revealed unto us by his
spirit," 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10. From the doctrines of the
mission of the Son of God, and of the gift of the
Holy Spirit, follows this most comfortable truth,
that w^e are the objects of the love of God, even of
love the most vehement and sincere tliat can be im-
agined : for " God commended his love towards us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,"
Rom. V. 8. And, as we are objects of that love
which God hath commended to us in his Son, it fol-
lows, that no bounds can be set to our happiness,
that there is no treasure too rich in the mines of the
blessed God, no duration too long in eternity, no
communion with the Creator too close, too intimate,
too tender, w hich we have not a right to expect ;
according to that comfortable, that extatic maxim
of St. Paul; God, who "spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things ?" Rom.
Tiii. 32.

This is a chain of some truths of the gospel. We
do not say that it might not be lengthened ; we do
not pretend to have given a complete system of the

78 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge*

doctrines of the gospel ; we only say that the doc-
trines proposed are closely connected, and that one
produceth another in a system of speculative gospel
truths.

In like manner, there is a connection between
practical truths. The class of practical truths is
connected with the class of speculative truths, and
each practical truth is connected with another prac-
tical truth.

The class of practical truths is connected with the
class of speculative truths. As soon as ever we are
convinced of the truth of the doctrines just now
mentioned, we shall be thereby convinced that we
are under an indispensible necessity to devote our-
selves to holiness. People, who draw consequen-
ces from our doctrines injurious to morality, fall
into the most gross and palpable of all contradic-
tions. The single doctrine of Jesus Christ's mis-
sion naturally produceth the necessity of sancti-
fication. Ye believe that the love of holiness is
so essential to God, that rather than pardon crimi-
nals without punishing their crimes, he hath pun-
ished his own Son. And can ye believe that the
God to whom holiness is so essential, will bear
Avith you while ye make no efforts to be holy ?
Do not ye see that in this supposition ye imagine
a contradictory God, or rather, that ye contradict
yourselves ? In the first supposition, ye conceive
a God to whom sin is infinitely odious : in the
second, ye conceive a God to whom sin is infi-
nitely tolerable. In the first supposition, ye con-
reive a God, who, by the holiness of his nature,

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge. 7^

exacts a satisfaction : in the second, ye conceive a
God, who, by the indifference of his nature, loves
the sinner while he derives no motives from the sat-
isfaction to forsake his sin. In the first supposition,
ye imagine a God who opposeth the strongest bar-
riers against vice : in the second, ye imagine a God
who removeth every obstacle to vice : nothing being
more likely to confirm men in sin than an imagina-
tion, that, to what length soever they go, they may
always find, in the sacrifice of the Son of God, an
infallible way of avoiding the punishment due to
their sin, whenever they shall have recourse to that
sacrifice. Were it necessary to enlarge this article,
and to take one doctrine after another, you w ould
see that every doctrine of religion proves what Ave
have advanced concerning the natural connection
of religious speculative truths with truths of prac-
tice.

But, if practical truths of religion are connected
with speculative truths, each of the truths of prac-
tice is also closely connected with another. All
virtues mutually support each other, and there is
no invalidating one part of our morality, without,
on that verv account, invalidatino; the whole.

In our treatises of morality, we have usually as-
signed thr^e objects to our virtues. The first of
these objects is God : the second is our neighbor :
and the third ourselves. St. Paul is the author of
this division. " The grace of God that bringeth
salvation, hath appeared to all men ; teaching us,
that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this

80 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

present world," Titus ii. 11, 12. But all these are
connected together : for we cannot live godly with-
out living at the same time righteously and soberly :
because to live godly is to perform what religion ap-
points, and to take that perfect Being for our exam-
ple to whom religion conducts and unites us. Now
to live as religion appoints, and to take that perfect
Being for our pattern to whom religion conducts
and unites us is to live righteously with our neigh-
bour, and soberly with ourselves. Strictly speak-
ing, we have not one virtue unless we have all vir-
tues; nor are we free from one vice unless we be
free from all vices: we are not truly charitable un-
less we be truly just, nor are we truly just unless
we be truly charitable : we are not truly liberal but
as we avoid profuseness, nor are we truly frugal
but as we avoid avarice. As I said before, all vir-
tues naturally follow one another, and afford each
other a mutual support.

Such is the chain of religious truths : such is the
connection, not only of each truth of speculation
with another truth of speculation, but of specula-
tive truths with the truths of practice. There is
then a concatenation, an harmony, a connection in
the truths of religion : there is a system, a body of
doctrine in the gospel. This is the article that we
proposed to prove.

But, a religion in which there is such a chain,
such an harmony and connection ; a body of doc-
trine so systematically compacted and united ought
not to be taken by bits and parts.

The Perfeclion of Christian Knowledge. 81

To illustrate this we may compare spiritual with
natural things. The more art and ingenuity there
is in a macliine composed of diverse wheels, the
more necessary it is to consider it in its whole, and
in all its arrangements, and the more does its beau-
ty escape our observation when we confine our at-
tention to a single wheel : because the more art
there is in a machine the more essential is the minu-
test part to its perfection. Now deprive a machine
of an essential part and you deface and destroy it.

Apply this to spiritual things. In a compact sys-
tem, in a coherent body of doctrine, there is no-
thing useless, nothing which ought not to occupy
the very place that the genius who composed the
whole hath given it. What will become of religion
if ye consider any of its doctrines separately ? What
becomes of religion if ye consider the holiness of
God without his justice, or his justice without his
mercy ?

II. Let us then proceed to enquii*e why so many
of us confine ourselves to a small number of reli-
gious truths, and incapacitate omselves for examin-
ing the whole system. The fact is too certain.
Hence, our preachers seem to lead us in obscure
paths, and to lose us in abstract speculations, when
they treat of some of the attributes of God, such
as his faithfulness, his love of order, his regard for
his intelligent creatures. It is owing to this that we
are, in some sense, well acquainted with some
truths of religion, while we remain entirely igno-
rant of others, which are equally plain, and equal-
ly important. Hence it is that the greatest part of

VOL. I. 11

82 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge*

our sermons produce so little fruit, because sermons
are, at least they ought to be, connected discours-
es, in which the principle founds the consequence,
and the consequence follows the principle: all
which supposes in the hearers an habit of meditation
and attention. For the same reason we are apt to
be offended when any body attempts to draw us out
of the sphere of our prejudices, and are not only
ignorant, but, (if you will pardon the expression) ig-
norant with gravity, and derive I know not what glo-
ry from our own stupidity. Hence it is that a preach-
er is seldom or never allowed to soar in his sermons,
to rise into the contemplation of some lofty and
rapturous objects, but must always descend to the
Jirst principles of religion, as if he preached for the
first time, or, as if his auditors for the first time
heard. Hence also it is that some doctrines, which
are true in themselves, demonstrated in our scrip-
tures, and essential to religion, become errors, yea
sources of many errors in our mouths, because we
consider them only in themselves, and not in con-
nection with other doctrines, or in the proper pla-
ces to which they belong in the system of religion.
This might be easily proved in regard to the doc-
trines of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ, the sac-
rifice of the cross, the necessity of the Holy Spirit's
assistance : doctrines true, demonstrated, and essen-
tial; but doctrines which will precipitate us from
one abyss to another, if we consider them as our
people too often consider them, and as they have
been too often considered in the schools, in an ab-

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge. 83

stract and detached manner. The fact then is too
certain. Let us attend to the principal causes of it.

Four principal causes may be assigned : 1 . A
party spirit. 2. The choice of teachers. 3. A hur-
ry of business. Above all, 4. The love of plea-
sure. As we shall take the liberty of pointing out
the causes of this malady, we shall also prescribe
the remedy, whether our most humble remonstran-
ces regard the people, the pastors, or even the sove-
reign, whose noblest office, as well as most sacred
and inviolable duty, it is to watch for the support
of the truth, and the government of the church.

1. The first cause that we have assigned is a
Party-spirit, This is a disposition that cannot be
easily defined, and it w ould be difficult to include
in a definition of it even its genus and species : It is
a monstrous composition of all bad genuses and of
all bad species: It is an hydra that reproduceth
while it seemeth to destroy itself, and which, w hen
one head hath been cut off, instantly produceth a
thousand more. Sometimes it is superstition, w^hich
inclines us to deify certain idols, and, after having
formed, to prostrate first before them. Sometimes
it is ignorance which prevents our perceiving the
importance of some revealed truths, or the dreadful
consequences of some prejudices that we had em-
braced in childhood. Sometimes it is arrogance,
which rashly maintains whatever it hath once ad-
vanced, advanced perhaps at first inconsiderately,
but which will afterw^ards be resolutely defended
till death, for no other reason but because it hath
been once asserted, and because it is too mortify-

84 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge,

ing to yield and ^dij I am wrong, I was mistaken.
Sometimes it is a spirit of malice and barbarity,
which abhors, exclaims against, persecutes, and
would even exterminate all who dare contradict its
oracular propositions. Oftener still it is the union
of all these vices together. A party-spirit is that
disposition which invenoms so many hearts, sepa-
rates so many families, divides so many societies,
which hath produced so many excommunications,
thundered out so many anathemas, drawn up so
many canons, assembled so many councils, and hath
been so often on the point of subverting the great
work of the reformation, the noblest opposition
that was ever formed against it.

This spirit, which we have faintly described,
must naturally incapacitate a man for considering
the whole of religion : it must naturally incline him
to take it only by bits and shreds. On the one hand,
it contracts the mind : for how can a soul that har-
boureth and cherisheth all the phantoms, which a
party-spirit produceth, how can such a soul study
and meditate as religion requires ? On the other
band, a party-spirit depraves the heart and eradi-
cates the desire of knowing religion. A man ani-
mated with the spirit of party directeth ail his at-
tention to such propositions of religion as seem to
favour his erroneous opinions, and irregular pas-
sions, and diverts it from all that oppose them : his
system includes only what strengthens his party, it
is exclusive of every thing that weakens or oppo-
ses it.

The Perfection of Christian Knoivlcdge. 85

This is the first cause of the malady. The remedy
is easiJy discovered. Let us divest ourselves of a
party-spirit. Let us never determine an opinion,
by its agreement or disagreement with what our
masters, our parents, or our teachers have inculca-
ted, but by its conformity or contrariety to the doc-
trine of Jesus Christ and his apostles. Let us never
receive or reject a maxim because it favours or op-
poses our passions, but as it agrees with or opposes
the laws of that tribunal, the basis of which are jus-
tice and truth. Let us be fully convinced that our
chief study should be to know what God deter-
mines, and to make his commands the only rules of
our knowledge and practice.

2. The second cause of the evil that ^ve ^vould
remove is The choice of teachers. In general, we
have three sorts of teachers. The first are cate-
chists, who teach our children the principles of re-
ligion. The second are ministers. The third pre-
pare the minds of young people for the ministry it-
self.

The carelessness that prevails in the choice of
the first sort of teachers cannot be sufficiently la-
mented. The care of instructing our children is
committed to people more fit for disciples than mas-
ters, and the meanest talents are thought more than
suflScient to teach the first principles of religion.
The narrowest and dullest genius is not ashamed to
profess himself a divine and a catechist. And yet
what capacity does it not require to lay the first
foundations of the edifice of salvation ! What ad-
dress to take the different forms necessary to in sin-

86 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge,

ilate into the minds of catechumens, and to concili-
ate their attention and love! What dexterity to
proportion instruction to the different ages and
characters of learners ! How much knowledge, and
how many accomplishments are necessary to dis-
cern what is fundamental to a youth of fifteen years
of age ! What one child of superior talents cannot
be ignorant of without danger, and what another of
inferior talents may remain innocently unacquaint-
ed with! Heads of families, this article concerns
you in a particular manner. W hat account can
ye render to God of the children with whom he hath
intrusted you, if, while ye take so much pains, and
are at so much expense to teach them the liberal
arts, and to accjuaint them with human sciences, ye
discover so much negligence in teaching them the
knowledge of salvation ? Not only in a future state
ought ye to fear the punishment of so criminal a
conduct ; ye will be punished in this present world.
Children ignorant of religion will but little under-
stand their duty to their parents. They will be-
come the cross, as they will be the shame and infa-
my of your life. They will shake off your yoke
as soon as they have passed their childhood, they
Avill abandon you to the weaknesses, infirmities, and
disquietudes of old age, Avhen you arrive at that dis-
tasteful period of life, which can be rendered agree-
able only by the care, the tenderness, and assiduity
of a well-bred son. Let us unite all our endeav-
ours, my dear brethren, to remove this evil. Let
us honour an employment which nothing but the
licentiousness of the age could have rendered con-

The Perfection of Christian Knorvledge. 87

temptible. Let us consider that, as one of the most
important trusts of the state, one of the most res-
pectable posts of society, which is appointed to in-
still religious principles in our children, to inspire
them with piety, to guard them against the snares
that they will meet with in the world, and, by these
means, to render them dutiful in childhood, faithful
in conjugal life, tender parents, good citizens, and
able magistrates.

The pastors of our churches are our second class
of teachers. I know that all our siifjUdency is of
God, 2 Cor. iii. 5. that though Paul may plant, and
Apollos water, God only giveth the increase : that
holy men, considering the end of the ministry, have
exclaimed. Who is siifficient for these things ? 1 Cor.
iii. 6. Yet the ordinary means which God useth
for the conversion of sinners are the ministry of thq
word, and the qualifications of ministers, for faith
cometh hy hearing, Rom. x. 17. Now this word, my
brethren, is not preached with equal power by all ;
and, though the foundation which each lays be the
same, it is too true that some huiM upon this foun-
dation the gold and precious stones of a solid and
holy doctrine, while others build with the ivood, hai/y
and stuhhle, 1 Cor. iii. 12. of their own errors, the
productions of a confused imagination and a mis-
taken eloquence. And as the word is not preached
with the same power, so it is not attended with the
same success.

But when the word proceeds from the mouth of
a man whom God hath sealed, and enriched with
extraordinary talents, when it proceeds from a man.

88 The Perfection of ChrisUan Knowledge.

who hath the tongue of the learned and the wisdom of
the wise, as the scripture speaks, Isa. 1. 4. When
it proceeds from a Boanerges, a son of thunder,
from a IVloses, mighty in words and in deeds, Mark
iii. 17. Acts vii. 22. who maintains the dignity of
his doctrine by the purity of his morals, and by
the power of his good example, then the word is
heard with attention ; from the ear it passeth to the
mind , from the mind to the heart, from the heart
to the life : it penetrates, it inflames, it transports.
It becomes a hammer breaking the hardest hearts, a
two-edged sword, dividing the father from the son,
the son from the father, dissolving all the bonds of
flesh and blood, the connections of nature, and the
love of self.

What precaution, what circumspection, and, in
some sort, what dread ought to prevail in the choice
of an office, which so greatly influences the salva-
tion of those among whom it is exercised ! There
needs only the bad system of a pastor to produce
and preserve thousands of false notions of religion
in the people's minds : notions, which fifty years la-
bours of a more wise and sensible ministry will
scarcely be able to eradicate. There needs only a
pastor sold to sordid interest to put up, in some sort,
salvation to sale, and to regulate places in paradise
according to the diligence or negligence with which
the people gratify the avarice of him who distri-
butes them. There needs only a pastor fretted with
envy and jealousy against his brethren to poison
their ministry by himself, or by his emissaries.
Yea sometimes, there needs onlv the want of some

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge, 89

less essential talents in a minister to give advantage
to the enemies of religion, and to deprive the truths
which he preaches of that profound respect which
is their due ; a respect that even enemies could not
withhold, if the gospel were properly preached,
and its truths exhibited in their true point of view.

It would be unreasonable perhaps to develope
this article now. How many of our people would
felicitate themselves if we were to furnish them
Avith pretences for imputing their unfruitfulness to
those who cultivate them ? But, if this article must
not be developed, what grave remonstrances, what
pressing exhortations, what fervent prayers should
it occasion ? Let the heads of families consider the
heinousness of their conduct in presuming to offer
impure victims to the Lord, and in consecrating
those children to the holy ministry, in whom they
cannot but discover dispositions that render them
unworthy of it. May ecclesiastical bodies never
assemble for the election of pastors without making
profound reflections on the importance of the ser-
vice in which they are engaged, and the greatness
of the trust which the sovereign commits to them:
May they never ordain without recollecting, that,
to a certain degree, they will be responsible for all
the sad consequences of a faithless or a fruitless
ministry : May they always prostrate on these oc-
casions before God, as the apostles in the same case
did, and pray. Lord shew whom thou hast chosen.
Acts i. 24. May our rulers and magistrates be af-
fected with the worth of those souls whom the pas-
tors instruct ; and may they unite all their piety, all
VOL. I. 12

90 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge,

their pity, and all their power to procure holy
men, who may adorn so eminent, so venerable a
post.

What hath been said on the choice of pastors still
more particularly regards the election of tutors,
who are employed to form pastors themselves.
Universities are public springs, whence rivulets
flow into all the church. Place at the head of these
bodies sound philosophers, good divines, wise ca-
suists, and they will become seminaries of pastors
after God's heart, who will form the minds, and reg-
ulate the morals of the people, gently bowing them
to the yoke of religion. On the contrary, place men.
of another character at the head of our universities,
and they will send out impoisoned ministers, who
w ill diffuse through the whole church the fatal ven-
om which themselves have imbibed.

3. The third cause which we have assigned, of
the infancy and noviciate of most Christians in reli-
gious knowledge, is the multitude of their secular
affairs. Far be it from us to aim at inspiring you
with superstitious maxims. We do not mean that
they who fill eminent posts in society should devote
that time to devotion which the good of the com-
munity requires. We allow, that in some critical
conjunctures, the time appointed for devotion must
be yielded to business. There are some urgent oc-
casions when it is more necessary to fight than to
pray : there are times of important business in
which the closet must be sacrificed to the cares of
life, and second causes must be attended to even
when one Avould wish to be occupied only about

The Pcrfeclion of Christian Knoivledge, 91

the first. Yet, after all, the duty that we recom-
mend is indispensable. Amidst the most turbulent
solicitudes of life, a Christian desirous of being sav-
ed, will devote some time to his salvation. Some
part of the day he will redeem from the world and
society, to meditate on eternity. This was the
practice of those eminent saints, whose lives are
proposed as patterns to us. The histories of Abra-
ham, Moses, Samuel, and David, are well known,
and ye recollect those parts of their lives to which
we refer, without our detaining you in a repetition
now.

The last cause of the incapacity of so many
Christians for seeing the whole of religion in its con-
nection and harmony: the last cause of their ta-
king it only by bits and shreds, is their love of sen-
sual pleasure. We do not speak here of those gross
pleasures at which heathens would have blushed,
and which are incompatible with Christianity. We
attack pleasures more refined, maxims for which
reasonable persons become sometimes apologists :
persons who on more accounts than one, are wor-
thy of being proposed as examples : persons who
would seem to be the salt of the earth, the flower of
society, and whom we cannot justly accuse of not
loving religion. How rational, how religious soev-
er they appear in other cases, they make no scruple
of passing a great part of their time in gaming, in
public diversions, in a round of worldly amuse-
ments ; in pleasures, which not only appear harm-
less, but in some sort, suitable to their rank, and
which seem criminal only to those who think it their

92 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

duty not to float on the surface of religion, but to
examine the whole that it requires of men, on whom
God hath bestowed the inestimable favour of re-
vealing it. We may presume, that if we shew peo-
ple of this sort, that this way of life is one of the
principal obstacles to their progress in religion, and
prevents their knowing all its beauties, and relish-
ing all its delights, we shall not speak without suc-
cess. In order to this, pardon me if I conjure you
to hear this article, not only with attention, but with
that impartiality which alone can enable you to
know whether we utter our own speculations, or
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Recollect here
that general notion of religion which we have laid
down : it contains truths of speculation, and truths
of practice. Such sensual pleasures as we have
just now mentioned, form invincible obstacles to the
knowledge of both.

I. To the knowledge of speculative truths.
How is it possible for a man to obtain a complete
system of the doctrines of the gospel while he is a
slave to sensual pleasures ?

1. To obtain a complete system of the doctrines
of the gospel there must be a certain habit of think-
ing and meditating. In vain ye turn over whole
volumes, in vain ye attend methodical sermons, in
vain ye parade with bodies of divinity, ye can nev-
er comprehend the connection of religious truths
unless ye acquire a habit of arranging ideas, of lay-
ing down principles, of deducing consequences, in
short of forming systems yourselves. This habit
cannot be accj[uired without exercise, it is unattaina-

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge, 93

ble without serious attention, and profound appli-
cation. But how can people devoted to pleasure
acquire such a habit ? Sensual pleasure is an inex-
haustible source of dissipation : it dissipates in pre-
paring, it dissipates in studying, it dissipates after
the study is at an end.

2. To counterbalance the difficulty of medita-
tion and study there must be a relish for it. Those
who make study a duty, or a trade, seldom make
any great progress in knowledge : at least a prodi-
gious difference has always been observed between
the proficiency of those who study by inclination,
and those who study by necessity. But nothing is
more capable of disgusting us with the spiritual
pleasures of study and meditation than the love of
sensual pleasures. We will not intrude into the
closets of these persons. But is there not a prodi-
gious difference between their application to study
and their attention to pleasure ? The one is a vio-
lence offered to themselves, the other a voluptuous-
ness after which they sigh. The one is an intolerable
burden eagerly shaken off as soon as the time ap-
pointed expires : The other is a delicious gratitica-
tion, from which it is painful to part when nature
exhausted can support it no longer, or troublesome
duty demands a cessation. In the one, hours and
moments are counted, and the happiest period is
that which terminates the pursuit : but in tlie oth-
er, time glides away imperceptibly, and people wish
for the power of prolonging the course of the day,
and the duration of life.

94 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

3. To acquire a complete knowledge of religious
truths, it is not enough to study them in the closet,
in retirement and silence ; we must converse with
others w^io study them too. But the love of sen-
sual pleasure indisposes us for such conversations.
Slaves to sensual pleasures have but little taste for
those delicious societies, whose mutual bond is utili-
ty, in which impartial inquirers propose their doubts,
raise their objections, communicate their discov-
eries, and reciprocally assist each other's edifica-
tion : For deprive those who love sensual pleasures,
of gaming and diversions, conversation instantly
languishes, and converse is at an end.

But secondly, if the love of sensual pleasure
raise such great obstacles to the knowledge of spec-
ulative truths, it raise th incomparably greater still
to the truths of practice. There are some scripture-
maxims which are never thought of by the persons
in question, except it be to enervate and destroy
them, at least, they make no part of their system
of morality.

In your system of morality, what becomes of
this scripture-maxim, evil communications corrupt
good manners ? 1 Cor. xv. 33. Nothing forms con-
nections more intimate, and at the same time, more
extravagant than an immoderate love of pleasure.
Men who differ in manners, age, religion, birth,
principles, educations, are all united by this bond.
The passionate and the moderate, the generous and
the avaricious, the young and the old agree to ex-
ercise a mutual condescension and patience towards
each other, because the same spirit actuates, and

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge, 95

the same necessities haunt them ; and because the
love of pleasure, which animates them all, can on-
ly be gratified by the concurrence of each indi-
vidual.

In your system of morality, what become of those
maxims of scripture, which say that we must con-
fess Jesus Christ before men^ that whosoever shall he
ashamed of him before men, of him will he be asham-
ed when he cometh in the glory of his father ? Mat. x.
32. Mark viii. 38. A man w ho is engaged in the
monstrous assembly which the love of pleasure
forms, must hear religion disputed, the morality of
the gospel attacked, good manners subverted, the
name of God blasphemed : and he must hear all
these without daring to discover the sentiments of
his heart, because as I just now observed, patience
and compliance animate that body to which he is
attached by such necessary and intimate ties.

In your system of morality, what become of those
scripture-maxims, which threaten those with the
greatest punishments who injure others ? The love
of sensual pleasure causeth offences of the most
odious kind ; I mean, it betrays your partners in
pleasure into vice. Ye game without avarice ; but
do ye not excite avarice in the minds of those who
play with you ? Ye do not injure your families ;
but do ye not occasion other men to injure theirs ?
Ye are guilty of no fraud ; but do ye not tempt
others to be fraudulent ?

What become in your moral system of those
maxims of scripture that require us to contribute to
the excision of all wicked doers from the city of the

96 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

Lord, Psal. ci. 8. to discountenance those who com-
mit a crime as well as to renounce it ourselves ?
The love of sensual pleasure makes us countenance
people of the most irregular conduct, whose snares
are the most dangerous, whose examples are the
most fatal, whose conversations are the most per-
nicious to our children and to our families, to civil
society and to the church of God.

In your system of morality, what become of
those maxims of scripture which expostulate with
us, when the Lord chastiseth us, to be afflicted and
mourn, to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of
God J to enter into our chambers, and shid the doors
about us, to hide ourselves until the indignation be
overpast ; to examine ourselves before the decree bring
forth ; to prepare ourselves to meet our God ; to hear
the rod and 7vho hath appointed it, James iv. 9. 1 Pet.
V. 6. Isa. XX vi. 20. Zeph. ii. 1, 2. Amos iv. 12. Mi-
cah vi. 9. to mourn in sackcloth and ashes ; and
while we feel present miseries, to remember those
that are past, tremble for those that are to come,
and endeavor by extraordinary efforts to avert the
anger of heaven ? The love of sensual pleasure
turns away people's attention from all these max-
ims, and represents those who preach them as wild
visionaries, or dry declaimers. The people of
whom we speak, these pious people, these people
who love their salvation, these people who pretend
to the glory of being proposed for examples, can
in times of the deepest distress, when tlie church is
bathed in tears, while the arm of God is crushing
our brethren and our allies, when the same terrible

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge. 97

arm is lifted over us, when we are threatened with
extreme miseries, when the scourges of God are at
om' gates, when there needs only the arrival of one
ship, the blowing of one wind, the wafting of one
blast, to convey pestilence and plague into our
country ; these people can . . . * . O God !
open their eyes that they may see ! 2 Kings vi. 17.

In your system of morality, what become of
scripture exhortations to " redeem the time, to
know the time of our visitation, to do all that our
hands find to do, because there is no work, nor de-
vice, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whith-
er we go ?" The love of pleasure inclines mortals,
who may die in a few days, people who perhaps
have only a few days to bid their last adieus, to em-
brace their families, to settle their temporal affairs,
to examine the neglected parts of religion, to re-
establish the injured reputation of a neighbour, in a
word, to prepare themselves to appear before that
terrible tribunal to- which death cites them : the
love of sensual pleasure inclines these poor crea-
tures, who have so short a time to live and so great
a task to perform ; the love of sensual pleasure in-
clines these people to waste a considerable part of
this fleeting life in amusements, that obliterate both
the shortness of life, and the necessity of death.

How often have we seen old age as greedy of
pleasure as youth ? how often have we seen people
bowing under the weight of age, how often have we
seen them, even when then* trembling hands could
scarcely hold the cards, or the dice, make their fee-
ble efforts to game ; and, when their decayed eyes

VOL. I, 13

98 The Perfection of Christian Knowledge.

were incapable of distinguishing the spots, assist
nature by art, their natural sight with artificial glas-
ses, and thus consecrate the remains, those precious
remains of life to gaming, which God had granted
for repentance.

All these causes of the infancy and noviciate of
Christians in regard to religion, unite in one, which,
in finishing this discourse, we cannot but lament,
nor can we lament it too much. We do not under-
stand our own religion : we are, most of us, inca-
pable of perceiving the admirable order, the beau-
tiful symmetry of its component parts. Why ? It
is because we have so little zeal for our salvation ;
it is because we form such languid desires to be sav-
ed.

Indeed I know, that, except some unnatural crea-
tures, except some monsters, to whom this discourse
is not addressed, every body professes to desire to
be saved, yea, to prefer salvation to Avhatever is
most pompous in the universe, and most pleasant
in this life. But, when the attainment of it in God's
way is in question, in the only way that agrees with
the holiness of his nature to direct, and with our
happiness to obey, what a number of people do we
meet with whose desires vanish ? I desire to be sav-
ed, says each to himself, I desire to be saved, but
not by such a religion as the gospel prescribes,
such as Jesus Christ preached, such as the apos-
tles and ministers of the gospel preach after him ;
but I desire to be saved by such a religion as I have
conceived, such an one as gratifies my passions and
caprices, I desire to be saved, but it is on condi-

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge, 99

tion, that, while I obey some of the precepts of
Jesus Christ, he will dispense with my obedience
of others. I desire to be saved : but not on con-
ditioji of my correcting my prejudices, and subiiiit-
ting them to the precepts of Jesus Christ, but on
condition that the precepts of Jesus Ciirist should
yield to my prejudices. I desire to be saved : but
on condition of retaining my prepossessions, tlie
system that I have arranged, tl«e way of life that I
pursue, and intend to pursue till I die. To desire
salvation in this manner is too common a disposition
among Christians. But to desire salvation in saying
to God, with a sincere desire of obeying his voice,
Lordy what wilt thou have me to do ? Acts ix. 6.
Lord, what wilt thou have me to believe ? Lord,
what wilt thou have me to love ? Lord, what incli-
nations wilt thou have me to oppose, to mortify, to
sacritice ? To be willing to be saved in receiving,
without exception, all the practical truths, which
compose an essential part of that religion which
God hath given us : Ah ! my brethren, how rare is
this disposition among Christians !

Without this disposition however, (and let us not
be ingenious to deceive ourselves) without this dis-
position there is no salvation. It implies a contra-
diction to say that God will save us in any other
way : for as it is contradictory to say that he will
give to an equal number the qualities of an unequal
number, or to bodies the properties of spirits, or to
spirits the properties of bodies ; so also is it a con-
tradiction to say that vice shall reap the rewards of
virtue, that the highway to hell is the path io para^
dise.

100 The Perfection of ChrisUan Knowledge.

So that nothing remains in concluding this dis-
course but to ask you, what are your intentions ?
What designs have ye formed ? What projects do
ye resolve to pursue ? What are your aims ? H ave
ye any thing more precious than your souls ? Can
ye conceive a nobler hope than that of being saved ?
Can ye propose a more advantageous end than your
own salvation ? Can ye persuade yourselves that
there is a greater felicity than the fruition of God ?
Will ye destroy yourselves ? Do ye renounce those
delightful hopes that are set before you in the gos-
pel ? And shall all the fruit of our ministry be to
accuse and confound you before God ?

Young man, thou mayest live fiiiy or sixty years:
but at the expiration of those fifty or sixty years,
time finishes and eternity begins. People of ma-
ture age, your race is partly run ; ten, fifteen,
or twenty years more, through the dissipations
and employments inseparable from your lives,
w ill vanish with an inconceivable rapidity ; and
then, time finishes and eternity begins with you.
And ye old people, a few years, a few months,
a few days more, and behold your race is at an
end; behold your time finishes and your eternity
begins. And can we resist this idea ! Alas ! what
hearts ! what Christians ! what a Church !

Grant Almighty God that our prayers may sup-
ply the defect of our exhortations ; may we derive
from thy bosom of infinite mercies what we despair
of obtaining from the insensibility of our hearers !
O thou Author of religion, thou divine Spirit, from
whom alone could proceed this beautiful system

The Perfection of Christian Knowledge. 101

which thou hast condescended to reveal to us, im-
press it in all its parts on our minds. Pluck up
every plant which thy good hand hath not planted.
Triumph over all the obstacles that our sins oppose
to thine empire. Shut the gulfs of helL Open the
gates of heaven. Save us, even in spite of our-
selves. Amen.

To the Father, to the Son, to the Holy Ghost,
be honour and glory, dominion and power for ever.
Amen.

SERMON II.

The Eternity of God.

Preached in the French Church at Rotterdam on the first Lord's
Day of the Year 1724.

2 Peter iii. 8.

Beloved, he not ignorant of this one thing, that one
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day,

W E could not meditate on the words which you
have heard, my brethren, without recollecting that
miraculous cloud which conducted the Israelites
through the desert. It was all luminous on one
side, and all opake' on the other.^ The Jews say
that it was the throne, or the triumphal chariot of
that Angel who marched at the head of the camp
of Israel ; of that Angel whom they call the Prince
of the world, the Shekinah, the presence of the divine
Majesty, the IJeity itself. It is not needful to ex-
amine this opinion. I do not know >vhether the
pillar of a cloud were a throne of God, but it was a
beautiful symbol of the Deity. What is the Deity
in regard to us ? If it be the most radiant of all
light, it is at the same time the most covered w^ith

* See Rabbi Menachem in Parasch. Beschalec. Exod. xiv. 19.
fol. 63. edit.de Venise5283, S.

104 The Eternity of God,

darkness. Let the greatest philosophers, let the
most extraordinary geniusses elevate their rnedita-
tations, and take the loftiest flights of which they
are capable, in order to penetrate into the nature of
the divine essence, the stronger efforts they make
io understand this fearful subject, the more will
they be absorbed in it : the nigher they approach
the rays of this sun, the more will they be dazzled
with its lustre. But yet, let the feeblest and most
confined genius seek instructions, in meditating on
the divine grandeurs, to direct his faith, to regulate
his conduct, and to sweeten the miseries that imbit-
ter this valley of t^ars ; he shall happily experience
what the prophet did : does he look to him 1 he shall
he lightened, Ps. xxxiv. 5.

God presents himself to your eyes to-day, as he
once presented himself to the Israelites in that mar-
vellous phenomenon. Light on one side, darkness
on the other. " A thousand years are w^ith the Lord
as one day, and one day as a thousand years." Let
the greatest philosophers, let those extraordinary
beings in whose formation God seems to have uni-
ted an angelic intelligence to a human body, let
them preach in our stead, let them fully explain the
words of my text. From what abysses of exist-
ence does the perfect Being derive that duration,
which alike overspreads the present, the future, and
the past ? how conceive a continuation of existence
without conceiving a succession of time ? how con-
ceive a succession of time, without conceiving that
he who is subject to it acquires what he had not be-
fore ? how affirm that he who acquires what he had

The Ekrnity of God. 105

not before, considers " a thousand years as one
day, and one day as a thousand years ?" So many
questions, so many abysses, obscurities, darknes-
ses for poor mortals.

Eut if ye confine yourselves to a conviction of
the truth of the words of my text ; particularly, if
ye desire to consider them in regard to the influ-
ence which they ought to have on your conduct,
ye will behold light issuing from every part, nor is
there any one in this assembly who may not ap-
proach it with confidence. This has encouraged us
to turn our attention to a subject, which, at first
sight, seems more likely to confound, than to edi-
fy us.

St. Peter aims to rouse the piety of Christians by
the idea of that great day wherein the world must
be reduced to ashes; when new heavens and a
new earth shall appear to the children of God.
Libertines regarded that day as a chimera. WherCy
said they, is the promise of the Lord's coming : for
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as
they were from the beginning of the creation ? 2 Pet.
iii. 4. ^'C. The words of my text are an answer
to this objection ; an idea which we will presently
explain, but which ye must, at least in a vague man-
ner, retain all along, if ye mean to follow us in this
discourse, in which we would wish to include all
the different views of the Apostle. In order to
which three things are necessary.

I. We will examine our text in itself, and endea-
vour to establish this proposition, That one day is

VOL. I. 14

106 The Eternity of God.

with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day,

II. We will prove what w^e have advanced :
That is, That St. Peter's design in these w ords was
to answer the objections of libertines against the
doctrine of the conflagration of the world : and we
will shew you that they completely answer the
purpose.

III. We w^ill draw from this doctrine, secured
against the objections of libertines, such motives to
piety as the Apostle presents us with.

In considering these w^ords in this point of light,
we will apply them to your present circumstances.
The renewal of the year, properly understood, is
only the anniversary of the vanity of our life, and
thence the calls to detach yourselves from the
world. And what can be more proper to produce
such a detachment than this reflection, that not only
the years which we must pass on earth are consum-
ing, but also that the years of the world's subsist-
ence are already consumed in part, and that the
time approaches, in w hich it must be delivered to
the flames and reduced to ashes ?

Let us first consider the words of our text in
themselves, and let us prove this proposition, " one
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day."

The notion which I have of God is my principle:
The w^ords of my text are the consequence. If I
establish the principle, the consecjuence will be in-
contestible. 1. Eternity, — 2. Perfect KnowledgCy
and, in some sort, the sight and presence of all

The Eternity of God. 107

that has been, of all that is, and of all that shall
be. — 3. Supreme happiness: are three ideas which
form my notion of the Deity : this is my princi-
ple. " A thousand years" then " are as one day,
and one day as a thousand years with the Lord :"
this is my consequence. Let us prove the truth of
the pi'inciple, by justifying the notion which we form
of the Deity.

1. God is an eternal being. This is not a chime-
ra of my mind; it is a truth accompanied with all
the evidence of which a proposition is capable. I
exist, I speak, you hear me, at least you seem to
hear me. These are facts, the certainty of which
all the philosophers in the world can never destroy,
I am not able to new mould myself, nor can I help
the perception of truths, the knowledge of which
(if I may be allowed to say so) is as essential to me
as my own existence. It does not depend on me
not to regard Pyrrho and Academus, those famous
defenders of doubt and uncertainty, as fools who
extinguished the light of common sense, or rather
as impostors, who pronounced propositions Avith
their mouths, the falsity of which it was impossi-
ble their minds should not perceive. I repeat it
again, the most subtle objections of all the philoso-
phers in the world united, can never diminish in
me that impression which the perception of my own
existence makes on my mind, nor hinder my evi-
dence of the truth of these propositions ; 1 exist, I
speak, you hear me, at least (for with the people
whom I oppose, one must weigh each expression,
and, in some sort, each syllable) at least I have the

108 The Eternity of God.

same impressions as if there were beings before my
eyes who heard me.

If I am sure of mv own existence, I am no less
sure that I am not the author of it myself, and that
I derive it from a superior Being. Were I alto-
gether ignorant of the history of the world ; if I
had never heard that I was only of yesterday^ as the
Psalmist speaks, Psal. xc. 4. if I knew not that my
parents, who were born like me, are dead ; were I
not assured that I should soon die ; if I knew no-
thing of all this, yet I should not doubt whether I
owed my existence to a superior Being. I can
never convince myself that a creature so feeble as
I am, a creature whose least desires meet with in-
surmountable obstacles, a creature who cannot add
one cubit to his stature, Mat. v. 27. a creature who
cannot prolong his own life one single instant, one
who is forced to yield, willing or unwilling, to a
greater power which cries to him, Dust thou art,
and to dust thou shalt return. Gen. iii. 19. I can
never convince myself that such a creature existed
from all eternity, much less that he owes his exist-
ence only to himself, and to the eminence of his
own perfections. It is then sure that I exist : it is
also certain that I am not the author of my own
existence.

This certainty is all I ask, I ask only these two
propositions : I exist, I am not the author of my
own existence, to convince me that there is an eter-
nal Being. Yes, though a revelation emanating from
the bosom of Omniscience had never given me this
idea of the Divinity ; though Moses had never pro-

The Eternity of God. 109

noiinced this oracle, before the mountains ivcre hrovghl
forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the
world, even from everlasting thou art God, Psa. xc. 2.
though the four and twenty Elders, who surround
the throne of God, had never rendered homage to
his eternity, or, prostrating before him, incessantly
cried. We give thee thanks, Lord God Almighty, nhieh
art, and wast, and art to come, Kev. xi. 17. though
the eternal Being had never said of himself, / am
Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Rev. i. 8.
Yea, though the eternal Being had never convinced
me of his grandeur by the works of his hands, if I
had been all alone in the nature of beings, I should
have been forced to admit an eternal Being. And
this proposition. There is an eternal Being, natu-
rally flows from those, I exist, and I am not the au-
thor of my own existence ; for if I be not the au-
thor of my own existence, I owe it to another Be-
ing. That Being to whom I owe my existence, de-
rives his from himself, or, like me, owes it to anoth-
er. If he exist of himself, behold the eternal Be-
ing whom I have been seeking; if he derive his ex-
istence from another, I reason about him as about the
former. Thus I ascend, thus I am constrained to
ascend, 'till I arrive at that Being who exists of
himself, and who hath always so existed.

Let such of you, my brethren, as cannot follow
this reasoning, blame only themselves. Let not
such people say, these are abstruse and metaphysic-
al reflections, which should never be brought into
these assemblies. It is not fair that the incapacity
of a small number, an incapacity caused by their

110 The Eiernity of God.

voluntary attachment to sensible things, and (so to
speak) by their criminal interment in matter ; it is
not right that this should retard the edification of a
whole people, and prevent the proposing of the first
principles of natural religion. Eternity enters then
into the idea of the creative Being ; and this is what
we proposed to prove.

2. " Omniscience, intimate acquaintance, and, in
a manner, the presence of all that is, of all that has
been, of all that shall be," is the second idea which
we form of the Deity. The more we meditate
on the essence and self-existence of the eternal
Being, the more are we convinced that omniscience
necessarily belongs to eternity ; so that to have pro-
Ted that God possesses the first of these attributes,
is to have proved that he possesses the second.
But, as I am certain, that a great number of my
hearers would charge those reflections with obscu-
rity, of which they are ignorant only through their
own inattention, I will not undertake to prove, by a
chain of propositions, that the eternal Being knows
all things : that, as author of all, he knows the na-^
lure of all ; that, knowing the nature of alJ, he
know s what must result from all. It will be better
to give you this subject ready digested in our holy
Scriptures, than to oblige you to recollect it by
your own meditation. Recall then on this article
these expressions of the sacred writers : " O Lord,
thou knowest all things," John xxi. 17. — " The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the
heart and try the reins/' Jer. xvii. 9, 10. — " Known

The Eternity of God. 1 1 \

unto him are all his works from the beginning,'*
Acts XV. 18. — " The word of God is quick and pow-
erful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, pier-
cing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is
there any creature that is not manifest in his sight,"
Heb. iv. 12, <X*c. Some interpreters think, that by
the ivord of God, we must understand here, not the
gospel of .Tesus Christ, as the phrase is generally
understood, but his person. If this be St. Paul's
idea, he uses, methinks, the same metaphysical rea-
soning which we have proposed : that is, that he
who created all, knows all. Observe how this rea-
soning is followed and developed in the Apostle's
words. The word of God, or, as it is in the Greek,
the logos, the word of God is quick and powerfid;
that is to say, that as Jesus Christ, as God, hath a
fund of life and existence, he hath also freely and
effectually communicated life and existence to oth-
ers. In this sense it is elsewhere said, that " by
him were all things created, that are in heaven and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or pow-
ers," Col. i. 16. And in St. John's Gospel, " In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. All things were
made by him, and without him was not any thing
made that was made," .John i. 1, 3. But tliis Word,
^idck and powerful, who hath given being to all,
perfectly knows all ; " sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul

1 1 2 The Eternity of God,

and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart;
neither is there any creature that is not manifest in
his sight, but all tilings are naked and opened unto
the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Om-
niscience, intimate knowledge, and, as I said be-
fore, the presence of all that is, of all that ^vas, of
all that shall be, are as essential to God as eternity.
This also, we hope, is sufficiently proved.

3. Supreme felicity is the third idea which we
have formed of God ; it flows immediately from the
two first. Every intelligent being is capable of
happiness, nor can he regard happiness with indif-
ference ; he is inclined by his very nature to render
himself happy. He cannot love misery as misery ;
he never suffers a present misery but in hopes of a
future pleasure ; or else he supports a misery be-
cause it appears to him more tolerable than the
means proposed to deliver him. Even those who
have wilfully plunged themselves into the gulfs of
hell, in a fit of black melancholy, ^vould not have
taken that dreadful step, had they not revolved this
melancholy imagination in theu* distracted minds,
that the assurance of being plunged into hell is less
tolerable than hell itself. It implies a contradiction,
thai an intelligent being, capable of being happy or
miserable, should be indifferent to his own happi-
ness or misery. If any thing be wanting to the feli-
city of God, the defect must not be attributed to
his will, the cause must be sought in his weakness,
that is, in his want of power.

The Eternity of God. 1 1 3

But who can conceive that a Being who existed
from all eternity, who gave existence to nil things,
and who knows all things, hath only a finite and
limited power ? I am well aware of the difficulty
of following the attributes of the Deity, and that,
in the greatest part of our reasonings on this grand
subject, we suppose what ought to be proved. But
as far as we are capable of penetrating this pro-
found subject, we have grounds for reasoning in
this manner : God hath given being to all things,
and he saw what must result from them ; it depend-
ed then entirely on him to form the plan of the
world or not to form it ; to be alone or to impart
existence : It depended on him to form the plan of
such a world as we see, or to form another plan.
He hath followed, in the choice which he hath made,
that which was most proper for his own glory. If,
to these feeble speculations, we join the infallible
testimony of revelation, we shall find a perfect
agreement with our ideas on this article ; that the
Creator is the happy God by excellence, 1 Tim. i.
11.* and that because he is eternal and omniscient,
he must for those very reasons be infinitely happy.
This article also is sufficiently proved.

These three ideas of the Deity are three sources
of proofs, in favour of St. Peter's proposition in
the words of my text, '' a thousand years before

* 1 Tim. i. 11. bienheureux dieUy /^UKx^iog ©eo$. /tcaxee^ia;,
quasi usyoc X'*'?^^) ^^ ^^h fnultum ct valde gaudcns : bcatus
Deus^ qui sibi sufficiens erat ad beatitudinem. Vide Nov. Test.
Grace, cum notis, Londini, 1768.

VOL. I. 15

1 1 4 The Eternity of God.

the Lord are as one day, and one day as a thousand
years."

God is an eternal Being. Then " a thousand
years with him are as one day, and one day as a
thousand years ;" that is to say, " a thousand years
and one day" are such inconsiderable measures of
duration, that, whatever disproportion they have
to each other, they appear to have none when com-
pared with the duration of eternity. There is a
great difference between one drop of water and the
twenty thousand baths which were contained in that
famous vessel in Solomon's temple, which, on ac-
count of its matter and capacity, was called the sea
of brass, 1 Chron. xviii. 8. but this vessel itself, in
comparison of the sea, properly so called, was so
small, that when we compare all it could contain,
with the sea, the twenty thousand baths, that is,
one hundred and sixty thousand pounds weight, ap-
pear only as a drop of water. The extreme differ-
ence between that quantity of w^ater and a little
drop vanishes when compared with the ocean. One
drop of w ater with the sea is as twenty thousand
baths, and twenty thousand baths are as one drop
of water. There is a great difference betw een the
light of a taper and that of a flambeau ; but expose
both to the light of the sun, and their difference
wull be imperceptible. The light of a little taper
before the sun is as the light of a flambeau, and the
light of a flambeau as that of a little taper. In like
manner, eternal duration is so great an object, that
it causeth every thing to disappear that can be com-
pared with it. A thousand years are no more be

The Eternity of God. 1 15

fore this than one day, nor one day than a thousand
years ; and these two terms, so unequal in them-^
selves, seem to have a perfect equality when com-
pared with eternity. We, minute creatures, we
consider a day, an hour, a quarter of an hour, as a
very little space in the course of our lives ; we lose
"without scruple a day, an hour, a quarter of an
hour : But we are very much to blame ; for this
day, this hour, this quarter of an hour, should we
even live a whole age, would be a considerable por-
tion of our life. But, if we attend to the little
probability of our living a whole age ; if we reflect
that ttiis little space of time, of which we are so
profuse, is the only space we can call our own ; if
we seriously think that one quarter of an hour, that
one hour, that one day is perhaps the only time
given us to prepare our accounts, and to decide our
eternal destiny; w^e should have reason to acknow-
ledge, that it was madness to lose the least part of
so short a life. But God revolves (if I may ven-
ture to say so) in the immense space of eternity.
Heap millions of ages upon millions of ages, add
new millions to new millions, all this is nothino in
comparison of the duration of the eternal Being.
In this sense, " a thousand years are as one day,
and one day as a thousand years."

2. God knows all. Then, a thousand years are
with him as one day, and one day as a thousand
years ; because he sees no more in a thousand years
than in one day ; because he sees as much in one day
as he can see in a thousand years. Ignorance and
uncertainty are the principal causes that make U5?

116 The Eternity of God,

think a sliort space of time a lon^ duration ; espe-
cially, when our ignorance and uncertainty respect
things which we ardently desire to know : Hope de-
ferred maketh the heart sick, (Pro v. xiii. 12.) is a
saying of the wise man. The very time in which
we are in suspense about an apprehended evil, is
insupportable to us. It seems to us, while we ex-
pect a fatal sentence, that we are every moment
suffering its execution.

God knows all. He sees all that was, all that is,
all that ever will be. The moment which he assign-
ed for the formation of this universe, is as present
to his mind as that Avhich he hath determined for its
destruction. He knows the success of the various
plans which at present exercise the speculations of
the greatest geniusses, and which occasion an infi-
nite number of different opinions among politicians.
He knows to what lengths that tyrant, who is the
scourge of the whole earth, shall carry his rage.
He knows how long that empire shall maintain its
dignity, w hich at present subsists with so much glo-
ry. He knows during what space Antichrist shall
yet oppose the dominion of the king Messiah ; and
when the king Messiah shall make him lick the
dust. He knows when the air shall resound with
that comfortable exclamation, " Babylon the great
is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit !" Rev.
xviii. 2.

3. In fine, God is supremely happy. Then, " a
thousand years with him are as one day, and one
day as a thousand years." In the enjoyment of per-

The Eternity of God. 1 17

feet happiness, the duration of time is impercepti-
ble. Placed, as we are, my dearest brethren, in this
valley of miseries, tasting only imperfect and imbit-
tered pleasures, it is very difficult for us to conceive
the impression wliich felicity makes on an intelli-
gence supremely happy. If the enjoyment of some
small good make us conceive to a certain degree,
a state in which ages appear moments, the miseries
inseparable from our lives presently replunge us in-
to a state in which moments appear ages ; in which
sorrows of the body, and sorrows of the mind, fre-
quently less tolerable than those of the body, so
powerfully apply our minds to each indivisible space
of time spent in pain, that we think our sufferings
have been long, when we have scarcely begun to
suffer. But God is always happy, and always su-
premely happy ; he always enjoys that perfect feli-
city, which makes a thousand years, ten thousand
millions of years, vanish with an inconceivable ra-
pidity. It would be unhappy not to enjoy this kind
of felicity more than ten or twelve millions of years,
because the impression which that felicity would
make on the soul would be so pow erful and lively,
that it would render him who enjoyed it insensible
to time j time would expire, and he would hardly
perceive that he had enjoyed any thing, even when
he had possessed happiness as long as I have sup-
posed. God would be unhappy (allow me this ex-
pression) if his felicity were not eternal. But this
is one of the subjects which must intimidate a
preacher through the difficulty he meets with in
furnishing matter. We must have ideas beyond

118 The Eternity of God.

human. We must have terms which mankind have
not yet invented. We ourselves must have parti-
cipated the felicity of God ; we must speak to men
who also had partaken of it; and afterwards, we
must have ao;reed together on a new language to
express each idea excited by the happiness, of which
we had made so blessed an experience. Represent
to yourselves a Being, or rather think, think, my
dear hearers, on the difficulty of representing a Be-
ing, who, having in the prodigious capacity of his
intelligence all possible plans of this universe, hath
preferred that which appeared to him the wisest,
the best, and the most conformable to the holiness
of his attributes ; represent a Being who hath exe-
cuted this plan, a Being who hath created in this
vast extent which our imagination fancies, in that
which our whole mind, more capable still of con-
ceiving grand objects than our imagination alone, or
our senses admires ; represent to yourselves a Be-
ing who hath created whatever is most capable of
contributing to perfect felicity ; represent a Being
who loves, and who is beloved by objects Avorthy of
his love ; a Being who knows how to repress the
madness of those who rebel against his empire ; a
Being who shares his felicity with spirits, whom he
esteems, and by whom he is esteemed above all
things ; a Being who hath the pleasure of render-
ing the objects of his esteem happy, and who ac-
knowledge that all their happiness comes from him ;

■ spirits who continually praise the author of

their felicity, and who, casting their crowns at his
feet, incessantly cry, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of

The Eternity of God. 119

Hosts ; the whole earth is full of thy glory," Isa. vi,
3. Represent to yourselves a Being who is approv-
ed by intelligences skilful in virtues, in grandeurs,
in objects worthy of praise; a Being who loves only
order, and who hath power to maintain it; a Being
who is at the summit of felicity, and who knows
that he shall be so forever. O ages ! O millions of
ages ! O thousands of millions of ages ! O duration
the longest that can be imagined by an intelligence
composed (if I may speak so) of all intelligences,
how short must ye appear to so happy a Being!
There is no time w ith him ; there is no measure of
time. One thousand years, ten thousand years,
one quarter of an hour, one instant, is almost the
same. " A thousand years are with him as one
day, and one day as a thousand years."

We have considered our text in itself; we will
now shew the end of the Apostle in proposing it,
and that it was very proper to answer that end.
This is our second part.

St. Peter, as we said before, St. Peter meant io
refute the odious objections of some profane per-
sons of his own time, wiio pretended to make the
doctrine of an universal judgment doubtful, and
who said, in order to obscure its truth, or enervate
its evidence, " Where is the promise of his coming,
for since the fathers fell asleep all things remain as
they were?" 2 Pet. iii. 4. I am aware that this
comment is disputed, and some have thought that
the destruction of .Jerusalem was the subject of this
whole chapter, and not the end of the world ; but,
how^ever averse Ave are to the decisive tone, we will

120 The Eternity of God.

venture to demonstrate that the apostle had far
greater objects in view than the fatal catastrophes of
the Jewish nation. This I think clearly appears,

1. By the nature of the objection which libertines
made. " Where is the promise of his coming, for
since the fathers fell asleep all things remain as tiiey
were ?" These libertines did not mean that from
the beginning of the world the commonwealth of
Israel had suffered no considerable alteration ; they
did not mean from that false principle to draw this
false consequence, that Jerusalem would always re-
main as it then was. How could they be such no-
vices in the history of their nation, as not to know
the sad vicissitudes, the banishments, and the plun-
derings, which the Jews had undergone? They
meant, that though some particular changes had
happened in some parts of the world, the generality
of creatures had always remained in the same state ;
thence they pretended to conclude that they would
always remain so.

2. This appears farther by the manner in which
the Apostle answers them in the verses preceding
the text. He alleges against them the example of
the deluge. 2'his, says he, " they are willingly ig-
norant of, that the world that then was, being over-
flowed with water, perished," ver. 5, 6. To this
he adds, " the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, the elements shall melt w ith fervent heat, the
earth also and the things that are therein shall be
burnt up," ver. 10. On which we reason thus:
The world, that was formerly destroyed with wa-
ter, is the same which shall be destroyed by fire;

The Eternity of God. 121

but the world that was destroyed with water, was
not the Jewish nation only : St. Peter then pre-
dicts a destruction more general than that of the
Jews.

3. This appears farther by this consideration.
The people to whom St. Peter wrote did not live
in Judea, but were dispersed through Pontus, Ga-
latia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. These peo-
ple could have but little to do with the destruction
of Jerusalem. Whether Jesus Christ terminated
the duration of that city suddenly or slowly, was
a question that regarded them indirectly only ; but
the day of which St. Peter speaks interests all
Christians, and St. Peter exhorts all Christians to
prepare for it, as being personally concerned in it.

4. Add a fourth consideration, taken from what
follows our text, ver. 15. 16. ''Even as our belov-
ed brother Paul also speaks of these things, in which
are some things hard to be understood, which they
that are unlearned and unstable, wrest unto their
own destruction." What are these things hard to he
understood? Many interpreters, ancient and mod-
ern, have thought that the doctrine of justification
was intended ; a doctrine established by St. Paul,
and wrested by many to their own destruction, as
from thence they concluded that good works were
useless. But, methinks, it is more probable that St.
Peter designs some parts of the first epistle to the
Thessalonians, where the Apostle had spoken as if
the day of judgment was very nigh, 1 Thess. iv. 13,
&c. and V. 1, &c. and from which many concluded
that it would immediately appear, and the mistake

VOL. I, 16

122 The Eternity of God.

caused a general subversion of society. Since theoy
St. Paul had spoken of the day of judgment, and St.
Peter speaks of the same things, it follows, that St.
Peter designed to establish the truth of a general
judgment, against those infidels who endeavoured
to subvert it.

But how is what the Apostle says, " one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day ;" how is such a proposition pro-
per to refute the odious objection of infidels, who
said, " Where is the promise of his coming ?" If a
man who possesseth 2;reat riches promise a small
sum to an indigent person, if he defer the fulfilment
of his promise, in vain ye endeavour to exculpate
him by saying, the promiser is so opulent that a
small sum with him is as great riches, and great
riches are as a small sum.

In like manner, to say that "a thousand years
with God are as one day, and one day as a thou-
sand years," is tliat to answer the objection ? The
question is not w hat the time of delay is to the eter-
nal Being ; the question is, what that time is to poor
mortals, who are confined to the earth, loaded with
miseries, and to whom one day is as a thousand
years, and not a thousand years as one day.

This difficulty is solved by the connection of our
text with the following verses: "Beloved, be not
ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the
Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as
one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his pro-
mise, as some men count slackness, but is long suf-
fering to US-ward, pot willing that any should per-

The Eternity of God, 123

isb, but that all should come to repentance." This
answer is conclusive, as ye will more fully perceive
by the following paraphrase. The delay of the day
of judgment may be considered either in relation
to men who must be judged, or to God himself who
will judge them. If ye consider it in regard to
men who must be judged, they have no room to
complain that God defers tliis important period ; on
the contrary, they ought to consider the pretended
slackness of which they complain, as an eifect of
the adorable love of their judge, who invites theni
to conversion. The manner in which God ordi-
narily takes men out of this life, is much more pro-
per to incline them to conversion than the terrible
retinue of his coming to judgment. How terrible
will his appearance be ! What eye will not be daz-
zled ? Whose conscience will not be alarmed ? EJere
blow the trumpets, the dreadful sounds of which
proclaim the approach of the Judge of diis universe.
There, the heavens, which once opened to receive
the Son of God, open again that he may return to
the earth, to execute his threatenings on rebellious
men. Here, earth and sea restore the bodies which
they have devoured. There, those thousand thou-
sands, those ten thousand times ten thousand, who are
continually before God, Dan. vii. 10. offer their min-
istry to him, and are the witnesses, admirers, and
executors of his judgment. Here, open the eter-
nal books, in which so many unrighteous thoughts,
so many unprofitable words, so many criminal ac-
tions have been registered. There, sentences are
preparing, destinies determining, final decrees just

IM The Eternity of God.

pronouncing. Who then could have presence of
mind enough to recur to genuine repentance^ even
supposing there were yet time for repentance ? Men
then have no reason to complain that the day of
judgment is not yet come. " The Lord is patient
towards all men, not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance."

If ye consider the pretended delay of judgment
in regard to God, as ye have considered it in regard
to men, ye will readily acknowledge that what ap-
pears delay to you, does not appear so to him.
Why ? Because " a thousand years are with him as
one day, and one day as a thousand years ;" be-
cause this long term that offends you is but as an
instant to the perfect Being.

It seems to me that this reasoning is conclusive.
This shall suffice for the present. Let us conclude,
and let us employ the few moments which remain,
to infer from the doctrine of the general conflagra-
tion, secured against the objections of libertines,
such motives to piety as the Apostle intended we
should draw from them. " Beloved, be not igno-
rant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise,
as some men count slackness, but is long suffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance. But the day of
tlie Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the
which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,
and the elements shall melt with ferv ent heat ; the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be

The Eternity of God. 125

burnt up." This is the doctrine that the Apostle
establisheth. " vSeeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day
of God ?" This is the consequence which he dedu-
ces; the justness of which inference will appear by
five descriptions, which the general confiagration
traces before your eyes: 1. A description of the
power of our Judge : 2. A description of the hor-
rors of vice : 3. A description of the vanity of the
present W'Orld : 4. A description of the beauties of
the world to come: 5. A description of the excel-
lence of piety. This is the third part, and the con-
clusion of this discourse.

1. The destruction of the universe affords us a
picture of the power of our Judge. How power-
ful, my brethren, is this judge! "Who can resist his
will?" Rom. ix. 19. Once there was no sea, no
earth, no firmament; one frightful night covered the
whole face of the universe. He said, (Gen. i. 3.)
and all these beings appeared: Now we behold a
sea, an earth, and a firmament. He will say, and
the sea shall be dry, and the earth shall be consum-
ed, the stars sliall disappear, the firmament shall be
found no more. Such is the God whom the sinner
attacks. A God " who taketh up the isles as a very
little thing," Isa. xl. 15. A God "who removeth
the mountains and overturneth them in his anger,
who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pil-
lars thereof tremble. A God, who commandeth
the sun and it riseth not, and sealeth up the stars ;

126 The Eternity of God.

who doth great things past finding out, yea, and
wonders without number," Job ix. 5, 6, 7, 10. This,
sinner, is the God whom thou attackest. But doth
the idea of a God so powerful never excite terror in
thy rebellious soul ? " Do we provoke the Lord to
jealousy?" 1 Cor. x. 22. are we stronger than he? —
Who hath hardened himself against him, and hath
prospered ? — Can any resist my power?" Job ix. 4.
" Who would set the thorns and briars against me
in battle ? 1 would go through them, I would burn
them together. O let them make peace with me,
and they shall make peace with me," Isa. xxvii.
4, 5.

2. The conflagration of the universe affords us a
picture of the horrors of vice. Behold how far
God carries his resentment against sin. It is not
enough to condemn to eternal flames, and to con-
fine in chains of darkness, those who have fled
from his justice. It is not enough to pour out his
wrath upon those who have committed the crime,
he detests even the instruments of the crime ; he de-
signs that all things that have served sin shall bear
the marks of his anger. If, under the law, a man
had defiled himself with a beast, he must die with
the brutal object of his passion, Lev. xx. 15, 16.
Thus God not content to punish the avaricious
with unquenchable fire, will destroy even objects
of avarice, and dissolve the gold and silver with
which the miser committed idolatry. INot content
to punish the ambitious, he will destroy even the
instruments of ambition, and overturn those thrones
and palaces which have caused it* Not content to

The Eternity of God, J 27

punish tlie voluptuous, he will destroy even objects
of voluptuousness, and consume the heavens, the
earth, and the elements, which have afforded mat-
ter for concupiscence. Heavens, earth, elements,
are ye guilty ? But If ye be treated with so much
rigour for having been the unconscious instruments
of the crime, what must the condition of the crimi-
nal be ?

3. In the burning of the universe we find a re-
presentation of the vanity of the present world.
What is this world which fascinates our eyes ? It is
a funeral pile that already begins to burn, and will
soon be entirely consumed ; it is a w orld which
must end, and all that must end is far inferior to an
immortal soul. The thought of death is already a
powerful motive to us to place our affections on
another world ; for what is death ? it is to every in-
dividual what one day, the final ruin will be to the
generality of mankind ; it is the destruction of the
heavens, which pass away with a great noise ; it is
the dissolution of elements ; it is the entire confla-
gration of the world, and of the works which art
therein. Yet vanity hath invented refuges against
this storm. The hope of an miaginary immortality
hath been able to support some men against the fear
of a real death. The idea of existing in the minds
of those who exist after them, hath in some sort,
comforted them under the miserable thought of be-
ing no more. Hence pompous buildings, and state-
ly edifices; hence rich monuments, and superb
mausoleums ; hence proud inscriptions and vain-
glorious titles, inscribed on marble and brass. But

128 The Eternity of God.

bebold the dissolution of all those bonds. The de-
struction of the world deprives us of our imaginary
beinc^, as death deprives us of our real existence.
Ye will not only be shortly stretched in your tombs,
and cease to use the houses and fields, and palaces
which ye inhabit ; but these houses, these palaces,
these fields will be consumed, and the memory of
all that is fastened to the world w ill vanish with the
world. Since then, this is the condition of all sen-
sible things, since all these sensible things must per-
ish ; immortal man, infinite spirit, eternal soul, dost
thou fasten thyself to vanity and instability ? Dost
thou not seek for a good more suitable to thy nature
and duration ? seeing all these things must he dissol-
ved, what manner of persons ought ye to he in all holy
conversation and godliness 1

4. The conflagration of the universe furnisheth a
description of the w^orld to come. Ye often hear
us declaim on the nothingness of earthly things;
we frequently diminish the w^orth of all that is great
and glorious; w'e frequently cry with Solomon,
Vanity of vanities, all is vanity ; Yanity in plea-
sures, vanity in grandeurs, vanity in riches, vanity
in sciences, vanity in all. But yet, my brethren,
how^ substantial w^ould this vanity be, how amiable
would this nothingness appear, if by a happy as-
semblage of all that the wo rid hath of the beautiful,
we could acquire the reality of a life, of w hich it
is easy to form to one's self the idea! Could I ex-
tract the choicest dignities and fortunes ; could I
inhabit the most temperate clime, and the most plea-
?!ant countrv ; could I chuse the most benevolent

The Eternity of God. 1 29

hearts, and the wisest minds ; could I take the most
happy temper, and the most sublime genius ; could
I cultivate the sciences, and make the fine arts flour-
ish ; could I collect and unite all that could please
the passions, and banish all that could give pain.
A life formed on this plan, how likely to please us !
How is it that God who hath resolved to render us
one day happy, doth not allow us to continue in
this world, and content himself with uniting all
these happy circumstances in our favour ? It is good
to be here, Mat. xvii. 4. O that he would allow us
here to build our tabernacles. Ah ! my brethren, a
life formed on this plan might indeed answer the
ideas of happiness which feeble and finite geniusses
form : but such a plan cannot even approach the de-
signs of an infinite God. A life formed on this
plan, might indeed exhaust a terrestrial love, but it
could never reach the love of an infinite God. No,
all the charms of this society, of this fortune, and
of this life ; no, all the softness of these climates,
and of these countries; no, all the benevolence of
these hearts, and all the friendship of these minds ;
no, all the happiness of this temper, and all the sub-
limity of this genius ; no, all the secrets of the sci-
ences, and all the discoveries of the fine arts ; all
the attractions of these societies, and all the pleas-
ures of the passions, have nothing, I do not say
w hich exhausts the love of God in Jesus Christ, I
do not say which answers, I venture to say which
approaches it. To accomplish this love there must
be another world ; there must be new heavens and
a new earth ; there must be objects far more grand.

VOL. I. 17

130 The Eternity of God,

Finally, the destruction of the universe displays
the excellence of piety. O that I could represent
the believer amidst fires, flames, winds, tempests,
the confusion of all nature, content, peaceable, un-
alterable! O that I could represent the heavens
passing away, the elements dissolving with fervent
heat, the earth and tlie things which are in it burn-
ing up, and the believer, that man, that inconsidera-
ble man, little by his nature, but great by the privi-
leges with which piety endows him, without suspi-
cion, rising fearless above all the catastrophes of the
universe, and surviving its ruins! O that I could
describe the believer, while all the tribes of the earth
mourn and smite their breasts, Mat. xxiv. 30. while
the wicked shall be as if they rvere giving up the
ghost, Luke xxi. 26. while their despair exhales in
these dreadful bowlings. Mountains fall on us, hills
cover us from the face of him rvho sits on the throne^
and from the face of the Lamb! Rev. vi. 16. O
that I could describe the believer assured, trium-
phant, founded on the rock of ages hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, 2 Pet. iii. 12. as our A-
postle expresseth it ; aiming with transports of joy
which we cannot express, (O may we one day ex-
perience these transports !) aiming to approach the
presence of Jesus Christ, as his tenderest friend and
deliverer, literally proving the truth of this promise,
when thou passest through the waters they shall not
overflow thee, when thou walkest through the Jire thou
shalt not be burnt, Isa. xliii. 2. O that I could re-
present him crying, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Rev. xxii. 20. come, receive a creature once defiled

The Eternity of God. \m

with sin; sometimes even rebellious, yet always
having at the bottom of his heart principles of love
to thee ; but now ravished with transports of joy,
because he is entering an economy, in which he shall
be always submissive and always faithful.

AYhat shall I say lo you, my dear brethren, to in-
cline you to piety, if all these grand motives be
"without success ? if the words of my text, if the
voice of an Apostle, — what do I say, the voice of an
Apostle ? " If the sun darkened, if the moon chang-
ed into blood, if the stars fallen from Heaven, if the
powers of heaven shaken, if the heavens passing
away with a great noise, if the elements dissolving
with fervent heat, if the earth consumed with all
that is therein," if the universal destruction of na-
ture and elements be incapable of loosening and de-
taching you from the present world.

It is said, that some days before the destruction
of Jerusalem, a voice was heard proceeding from
the holy place, and crying. Let us go hence, let us go
hence,^ My brethren, such a voice addresses you.

We ground our exhortations to-day, not on the
destruction of one people only ; we preach (if I
may be allowed to say so) in sight of the ruins of
this whole universe : Yes, from the centre of the
trembling world and crashing elements, a voice
sounds. Let us go hence ; lei us quit the world ; give
our hopes more solid bases than enkindled worlds,
which will shortly be burnt up. And then, pass
away heavens with a great noise, consume elements,

* Josephus de Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 3L

132 The Eternity of God.

burn earth with all thy works, perish universe, per-
ish nature, our felicity is above all such catastro-
phes, we cleave to the God of ages, to God who is
the source of existence and duration, to God before
whom " a thousand years are as one day, and one
day as a thousand years." " O Lord, of old hast
thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the hea-
vens are the work of thine hands. They shall per-
ish, but thou shalt endure ; yea, all of them shall
wax old like a garment ; as a vesture shalt thou
change them, and they shall be changed. But thou
art the same, and thy years shall have no end. The
children of thy servants shall continue, and their
seed shall be established before thee," Psa. cii. 26,
^c. God grant we may experience these great
promises ! To him be honour and glory. Amen.

SERMON III.

The Omnipresence of God.

>»«

Psalm cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or whither shall I
Jieejrom thy presence ^ If I ascend up into heaven,
thou art there : if I make my bed in hell, behold
thou art there. If / take the wings of the mornings
and divell in the uttermost parts of the sea : even
there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand
shall hold me. If I say. Surely the darkness shall
cover me : even the night shall be light about me.
Yea the darkness hideth not from thee ; but the
night shineth as the day : the darkness and the
light are both alike to thee.

fjOULD I have one wish, to answer my proposed
end of preaching to-day with efficacy, Christians,
it should be to shew you God in this assembly.
Moses had such an advantage, no man therefore
ever spoke with greater success. He gave the law
to the people in God the legislator's presence. He
could say, This law which I give you proceeds
from God ; here is his throne, there is his lightning,
yonder is his thunder. Accordingly, never were a
people more struck with a legislator's voice. Mo-
ses had hardly begun to speak, but at least for that

1 3i The Omnipresence of God.

moment, all hearts were united, and all Sinai echo-
ed with one voice, ciying. All that thou hast spoken
we will do, Exod. xix. 8.

But in vain are our sermons drawn from the sa-
cred sources ; in vain do we say to you. Thus saith
the Lord : ye see only a man ; ye hear only a mor-
tal voice in this pulpit ; God hath put his treasure
into earthen vessels, 2 Cor. iv. 7. and our auditors
estimating the treasure by the meanness of the ves-
sel, instead of supporting the meanness of the ves-
sel for the sake of the treasure, hear us without re-
spect, and generally, derive no advantage from the
ministry.

But were God present in this assembly, could we
shew you the Deity amongst you, authorizing our
voice by his approbation and presence, and examin-
ing with what dispositions ye hear his word, which
of you, which of you my brethren, could resist so
eminent and so noble a motive ?

Christians, this idea is not destitute of reality:
God is every where ; he is in this church. Yails of
flesh and blood prevent your sight of hun ; these
must fall, and ye must open the eyes of your spirits,
if ye would see a God who is a Spirit, John iv. 24,
Hear our prophet ; hear his magnificent descrip-
tion of the immensity and omnipresence of God.
" Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or whither
shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into
heaven, thou art there. If I make by bed in hell,
behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the
morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the
sea : even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy^

The Omnipresence of God, 135

right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the
darkness shall cover me ; even the night shall be
light about me. Yea the darkness hideth not from
thee ; but the night shineth as the day : the dark-
ness and the light are both alike to thee."

In a text less abundant in riches, we might make
some remarks on the terms spirit, and presence ;
but we will content ourselves at present with indi-
cating what ideas we affix to them, by observing,
that by the spiiit and presence of God, we under-
stand God himself. I know, some divines discover
great mysteries in these terms, and tell us that there
are some passages in scripture where the word pres-
ence means the second person in the most Holy
Trinity, and where the term spirit is certainly to be
understood of the third. But as there are some
passages where these terms have not this significa-
tion, it is beyond all doubt, that this, which we are
explaining, is precisely of the latter kind. But
however, if any dispute our comment, we shall leave
them to dispute it ; for it would be unjust to con-
sume that time which is dedicated to the edification
of a whole congregation, in refuting a particular
opinion. The other expressions in our text, heaven,
hell; the wings of the morning, a figurative expres-
sion denoting the rapidity of the light in communi-
cating itself from one end of the world to the oth-
er ; these expressions, I say, need no comment.
The presence of God, the spirit of God, signify then
the divine essence : and this assemblage of ideas,
** whither shall I go from thy spirit ? whither shall

136 The Omnipresence of God,

I flee from thy presence ?" means, that God is im-
mense, and that he is present in every place.

But wherein consists this immensity and omni-
presence ? If ever a question required developing,
this certainly does ; not only because it presents to
the mind an abstract subject, which does not fall
imder the observation of the senses, but because
many who have treated this matter (pardon an opin-
ion which does not proceed from a desire of oppos-
ing any individual, but only from a love to the
truth) many who have handled the subject, have
contributed more to perplex than to explain it. We
may observe in general, that unless we be wholly
unacquainted with the history of the sciences, it is
impossible not to acknowledge, that all questions
about the nature of spirits, all that are any way re-
lated to metaphysics, w^ere very little understood
before the time of that celebrated philosopher, v»hom
God seems to have bestowed on the world to purify
reason, as he had some time before raised up others
to purify religion.^

What. heaps of crude and indigested notions do
we find among the schoolmen of the immensity of
God ? One said that God was a point, indivisible in-
deed, but a point however, that had the peculiar
property of occupying every part of the universe.
Another, that God was the place of all beings, the
immense extent in which his power had placed
them. Another, tliat his essence was really in hea-
ven, but yet, repletiveli/, as they express it, in every

* The philosopher intended by Mr. S. I suppose, is his coim-
trj'-man De-scartes^ born in 1596. Vie de Desc. par Baillct.

The Omnipresence of God, 137

part of the universe. In short, this truth hath been
obscured by the grossest ignorance. Whatever
aversion we have to tlie decisive tone, we will ven-
ture to affirm, that people who talked in this man-
ner of God, had no ideas themselves of what they
advanced.

Do not be afraid of our conducting you into these
wild mazes ; do not imagine that we will busy our-
selves in exposing all these notions for the sake of
labouring to refute them. We will content .iur-
selves with giving you some light into the omnipre-
sence of God :

I. By removing those false ideas, which at first
seem to present themselves to the imagination ;

II. By assigning the true.

I. Let us remove the false ideas, w^hich at first
present themselves to the imagination ; as if, when
we say that God is present in any place, we mean
that he is actually contained there ; as if, when we
say that God is in every place, we mean to assign to
him a real and proper extension. Neither of these
is designed ; and to remove these ideas, my breth-
ren, two reflections are sufficient.

God is a Spirit. A spirit cannot be in a place,
at least in the manner in which w^e conceive of place.

1. God is a Spirit. What relation can ye find
between wisdom, power, mercy, and all the other
attributes which enter into your notion of the di-
vinity, and the nature of bodies ? Pulverise matter,
give it all the different forms of which it is suscept-
ible, elevate it to its highest degree of attainment,
make it vast, and immense ; moderate, or small ;

VOT,. T. 18

13S The Omnipresence of God,

luminous, or obscure ; opake, or transparent ; there
will never result any thing but figures, and never
will ye be able, by all these combinations, or di-
visions, to produce one single sentiment, one single
thought, like that of the meanest and most contract-
ed of all mankind. If matter then cannot be the
subject of one single operation of the soul of a me-
chanic, how should it be the subject of those attri-
butes which make the essence of God himself?

But perhaps God, who is spiritual in one part of
his essence, may be corporeal in another part, like
man, who, although he hath a spiritual soul, is yet
united to a portion of matter ? No ; for, however
admirable in man that union of spiritual and sensi-
ble may be, and those laws which unite his soul to
his body, nothing more fully marks his weakness
and dependence, and consequently nothing can less
agree w ith the divine essence. Is it not a mark of
the dependence of an immortal and intelligent soul,
to be enveloped in a little flesh and blood, wiiich,
according to their differeut motions, determine his
joy or sorrow, his happiness or misery ? Is it not a
mark of the weakness of our spirits to have the
power of acting only on that little matter, to which
we are united, and to have no power over more ?
TV ho can imagine that God hath such limits? He
hath no body ; he is united to none ; yet he is uni-
ted to all. That celebrated philosopher, shall I
call him ? or atheist,^ who &aid that the assemblage

* Mr. S. means, I should suppose, Spinoza : whose system of
atheism, says a sensible writer, is more gross, and therefore less
dangerous than others j his poison carrying- its antidote with it-

The Omnipresence of God. 139

of all existence constituted the divine essence, who
would have us consider all corporeal beings as the
body of the divinity, published a great extrava-
gance, if he meant that the divine essence consist-
ed of this assemblage. But there is a very just
sense, in which it may be said that the whole uni-
verse is the body of the Deity. In effect, as I call
this portion of matter my body, which I move, act
and direct as I please, so God actuates by his will
every part of the universe : he obscures the sun, he
calms the winds, he commands the sea. But this
very notion excludes all corporiety from God, and
proves that God is a spirit. If God sometimes re-
presents himself with feet, with hands, with eyes, he
means in these portraits, rather to give us emblems
of his attributes, than images (properly speaking)
of any parts which he possesseth. Therefore, when
he attributes these to himself, he gives them so vast
an extent, that we easily perceive, they are not
to be grossly understood. Hath he hands ? they
are hands which " weigh the mountains in scales,
and the hills in a balance, which measure the wa-
ters in the hollow of his hand, and mete out the
heavens with a span," Isa. xl. 12. Hath he eyes?
they are eyes that penetrate the most unmeasu-
rable distances. Hath he feet ? they are feet which
reach from heaven to earth, for the " heaven is his
throne, and the earth is his footstool," Isa. Ixvi. I.
Hath he a voice ? it is as " the sound of many wa-
ters, breaking the cedars of Lebanon, making Mount
Sirion skip like an unicorn, and the hinds to calve,"
Ps. xxix. 3, 5, 6, 9.

140 The Omnipresence of God.

This reminds me of a beautiful passage in Plato.
He says that the gods, particularly the chief good,
the ineffable beauty, as he calls him, cannot be con-
ceived of but by the understanding only, and by
quitting sensible objects ; that in order to contem-
plate the divinity, terrestrial ideas must be sur-
mounted ; that the eyes cannot see him ; that the
ears cannot hear him. A thought which Julian the
apostate, a great admirer of that philosopher, so
nobly expresses in his satire on the Caesars. Thus
every thing serves to establish our first principle,
that God is a Spirit.

2. But to prove that God is a Spirit, and to prove
that he occupies no place, at least as our imagin-
ation conceives, is, in our opinion, to establish the
same thesis.

I know how difficult it is to make this conse-
quence intelligible and clear, not only to those who
have never been accustomed to meditation, and who
are therefore more excusable for having confused
ideas ; but even to such as, having cultivated the
sciences, are most intent on refining their ideas. I
freely acknowledge, that after we have used our
utmost efforts to rise above sense and matter, it will
be extremely difficult to conceive the existence of
a spirit, without conceiving it in a certain place.
Yet, I think, whatever difficulty there may be in
the system of those who maintain that an immate-
rial being cannot be in a place, properly so called,
there are greater difficulties still in the opposite
opinion : for what is immaterial hath n > parts ; what
hath no parts hath no form ; what hath no form

The Omnipresence of God, 141

liafb no extension ; what hath no extension can have
no Situation in place, properly so called. For what
is it to be in place ? is it not to fill space, is it not to
be adjusted with surrounding bodies ? how adjust
with surrounding bodies without parts ? how consist
of parts, without being corporeal ? But if ye as-
cribe a real and proper extension to a spirit, every
thought of that spirit would be a separate portion
on that extension, as every part of the body is a
separate portion of the whole body : every opera-
tion of spirit would be a modification of that exten-
sion, as every operation of body is a modification of
body ; and, were this the case, there would be no ab-
surdity in saying that a thought is round, or square,
or cubic, which is nothing less than the confounding
of spirit with matter. Thus the idea which our im-
agination forms of the omnipresence of God, when
it represents the essence of the Supreme Being fil-
ling infinite spaces, as we are lodged in our houses,
is a false idea that ought to be carefully avoided.

11. V\ hat notions then must we form of the im-
mensity of God ? in what sense do we conceive that
the infinite spirit is every where present ? My breth-
ren, the bounds of our knowledge are so strait, our
sphere is so contracted, we have such imperfect
ideas of spirits, even of our own spirits, and for a
much stronger reason, of the Father of spirits, that
no genius in the world, however exalted ye may
suppose him, after his greatest eflbrts of meditation,
can say to you. Thus far extend the attributes of
God ; behold a complete idea of his immensity and
omnipresence. Yet, by the help of sound reason^

142 The Omnipresence of God.

above all, by the aid of revelation, we may give
you, if not complete, at least distinct ideas of the
subject : it is possible, if not to indicate all the sen-
ses in which God is immense, at least to point out
some : it is possible, if not to shew you all the
truth, at least to discover it in part.

Let us not conceive the omnipresence of God as
a particular attribute (if I may venture to say so) of
the Deity, as goodness or wisdom, but as the extent
or infinity of many others. The omnipresence of
God is that universal property by which he com-
municates himself to all, diffuses himself through
all, is the great director of all, or, to confine our-
selves to more distinct ideas still, the infinite spirit
i« present in every place.

1. By a boundless knowledge.

2. By a general influence.

3. By an universal direction.

God is every where, because he seeth all, because
he influenceth all, because he directeth all. This we
must prove and establish. But if ye would judge
rightly of what ye have heard, and of what ye may
still hear, ye must remember that this subject hath
no relation to your pleasure, nor to your policy,
nor to any of those objects >vhich occupy and fill
your whole souls ; and consequently, that if ye
would follow us, ye must stretch your meditation,
and go, as it were, out of yourselves.

1. The first idea of God's omnipresence is his
omniscience, God is every where present, because
he seeth all. This the prophet had principally in
view. " O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known

The Omnipresence of God, 143

me. Thou knoAvest my down-sitting and mine up-
rising, thou understandest my thoughts afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and
art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not
a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou know-
est it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and
before. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me ;
it is high, I cannot attain unto it," verses 1, 2, 3, &;c.
Then follow the words of our text : " Whither shall
I go from thy spirit ?" and so on.

Let us not then consider the Deity, after the ex-
ample of the schoolmen, as a point fixed in the uni-
versality of beings. Let us consider the universali-
ty of beings as a point, and the Deity as an immense
eye, which sees all that passes in that point, all that
can possibly pass there; and which, by an all-an-
imating intelligence, makes an exact combination
of all the effects of matter, and of all the disposi-
tions of spirit.

1. God knows all the effects of matter. An ex-
pert workman takes a parcel of matter proportion-
ed to a work which he meditates^ he makes divers
wheels, disposes them properly, and sees, by the
rules of his art, w hat must result from their assem-
blage. Suppose a sublime, exact genius, knowing
how to go from principle to principle, and from con-
sequence to consequence, after foreseeing what
must result from two wheels joined together, should
imagine a third, he will as certainly know what
must result from a third, as from a first and second ;
after imagining a third, he may imagine a fourth,
and properly arrange it w ith the rest in his imagin-

144 The Omnipresence of God.

ation ; after a fourth a fifth, and so on to an endless
number. Such a man could mathematically de-
monstrate, in an exact and infallible manner, wlsat
must result from a work composed of all these dif-
ferent wheels. Suppose farther, that this workman,
having accurately considered the effects which
would be produced on these wheels, by that subtil
matter Avhich in their whirlings continually sur-
rounds them, and which, by its perpetual action and
motion, chafes, wears, and dissolves all bodies ; this
workman would tell you, with the same exactness,
how long each of these wheels would wear, and
when the whole work would be consumed. Give
this workman life and industry proportional to his
imagination, furnish him with materials, proportion-
al to his ideas, and he will produce a vast, immense
work, all the different motions of which he can ex-
actly combine ; all the different effects of which he
can evidently foresee. He will see, in what time
motion will be communicated from the first of these
wheels to the second, at what time the second will
move the third, and so of the rest ; he will foretell
all their different motions, and all the effects which
must result from their different combinations.

Hitherto this is only supposition, my brethren,
but it is a supposition that conducts us to the most
certain of all facts. This workman is God. God
is this sublime, exact, infinite genius. He calls into
being matter, without motion, and, in some sense,
without form. He gives this matter form and mo-
tion. He makes a certain number of wheels, or ra-
ther he makes them without number. He disposes

The Omnipresence of God, 14^5

them as he thinks proper. He communicates a cer-
tain degree of motion agreeable to tlie laws of his
wisdom. Thence arises the world which strikes
our eyes. By the fore-mentioned example, I con-
ceive, that God, by his own intelligence, saw what
must result from the arrangement of all the wheels
that compose this world, and knew, with the utmost
exactness, all their combinations. He saw that a
certain degree of motion, imparted to a certain por-
tion of matter, would produce water; that another
degree of motion, communicated to another portion
of matter, would produce fire ; that another would
produce earth, and so of the rest. He foresaw,
with the utmost precision, what would result from
this water, from this fire, from this earth when join-
ed together, and agitated by such a degree of mo-
tion as he should communicate. By the bare in-
spection of the laws of motion, he foresaw fires, he
foresaw shipwrecks, he foresaw earthquakes, he
foresaw all the vicissitudes of time, he foresaw
those which must put a period to time, when " the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, when
the elements shall melt with fervent heat, when the
earth with all the works that are in it shall be burnt
up," 2Peteriii. 10.

2. But, if God could combine all that would re-
sult from the laws of motion communicated to mat-
ter, he could also combine all that would result from
intelligence, freedom of will, and all the faculties
which make the essence of spirits ; and, before he
had formed all those spiritual beings which compose
the intelligible world, he knew what all their ideas^

VOL. I. 19

14& The Omnipresence of God,

all their projects, all their deliberations would for
0ver be.

I am aware, that a particular consequence, which
follows this doctrine, hath made some divines ex-
claim against this thesis, and, under the specious pre-
tence of exculpating the Deity from the entrance of
sin into this world, they have affirmed that God
could not foresee the determinations of a free
agent ; for, say they, had he foreseen the abuse
which man v;ould have made of his liberty, in re-
solving to sin, his love to holiness would have enga-
ged him to prevent it. But to reason in this man-
ner is, in attempting to solve a difficulty, to leave
that difficulty in all its force.

All that they say, on this article, proceeds from
this principle, that a God infinitely just, and infinite-
ly powerful, ought to display (if it be allowable to
say so) all the infinity of his attributes to prevent
sin. , But this principle is notoriously false. Wit-
ness that very permission of sin which is objected
to us. Ye will not acknowledge that God foresaw
man's fall into sin : acknowledge, at least, that he
foresaw the possibility of men's falling, and that, in
forming a creature free, he knew that such a crea-
ture might choose virtue or vice ; acknowledge, at
least, that God could have created man with so much
knowledge, and could have afforded him so many
succours ; he could have presented such powerful
motives to holiness incessantly, and discovered to
him the dreadful consequences of his rebellion so
effectually; he could have united obedience to his
commands with so many delights, and the most dis-

The Omnipresence of God. 147

lant thought of disobedience with so many disgusts ;
he could have banished from man every temptation
to sin, so that he Avould never have been a sinner.
Yet God created man in another manner ; conse-
quently it is not true, even in your system, that God
hath exerted all the power he could to prevent sin's
entrance into the w orld. Consequently it is false,
that a being, who perfectly loves holiness, ought to
display the whole extent of his attributes to prevent
sin, and to establish virtue. Consequently, the
principle on which ye ground your denial of God's
comprehension of all the dispositions of spirits, is
an unwarrantable principle, and to attempt to solve
the difficulty, in this manner, is to leave it in all its
force.

But, if ye consult revelation, ye will find that
God claims an universal knowledge of spirits. He
says that he searcheth and knoweth them, .Ter. xvii. 10.
Rev. ii. 23. Gen. xv. 13. Exod. iii. 19. He fore-
saw% he foretold, the afflictions Avhich Abraham's
posterity w^ould endure in Canaan, the hardening of
Pharaoh, the infidelity of the .Tews, the faith of the
Gentiles, the crucifixion of the Messiah, the com-
ing of the prince or leader, that is of Vespasian, or
Titus, w^ho would destroy the city and the sanctuary ^
Dan. ix. 25, 26. And consequently, we have a
right to affirm that God knows all the thoughts of
the mind, and all the sentiments of the heart, as
well as that he knows all the motions of matter.

Perhaps ye w^ish, my brethren, that our specula-
tions were carried farther ; perhaps ye would have
us disentangle the subject from all its difficulties ;

148 The Omnipresence of God,

perhaps ye wish we could make you comprehend,
in a clear and distinct manner, how it is possible that
such immense objects can be always present to the
Supreme Intelligence ? but what mortal mouth can
express such sublime truths, or what capacity is able
to conceive them ! On this article, we are obliged
with our prophet to exclaim, " such knowledge is
too wonderful for me, it is high: I cannot attain
unto it !" verse 6. In general, we conceive that
the sphere of divine knowledge is not contracted
by any of the limits that confine the spirits of man-
kind.

The human spirit is united to a portion of mat-
ter. Man can perform no operation without the
agitation of his brain, without the motion of his an-
imal spirits, without the help of his senses. But
the brain wearies, the spirits dissipate, the senses
are blunted, and the minutest alteration of body
clogs the most penetrating and active genius. But
God, as we have represented him, thinks, under-
stands, meditates, without brain, without spirits,
without any need of senses ; not participating their
nature, he never participates their alteration, and
thus hath intelligence immediately from the treasure
of intelligence itself.

The spirit of man owes its existence to a superi-
or spirit, to a foreign cause, to a Being who gives
him only such ideas as he thinks proper, and who
hath been pleased to conceal numberless mysteries
from him. But God, God not only does not owe
his existence to a foreign cause, but all that exist
derive their existence from him. His ideas were

The Omnipresence of God, 149

the models of all beings, and he hath only to con-
template himself perfectly to know tliem.

The spirit of man is naturally a finite spirit ; he
can consider only one circle of objects at once, ma-
ny ideas confound him ; if he would see too much
he sees nothing, he must successively contemplate
■what he cannot contemplate in one moment. But
God is an infinite spirit ; with one single look
he beholdeth the whole universe. This is the first
idea of the omnipresence of God. As I am ac-
counted present in this auditory, because I see the
objects that are here, because I am witness of all
that passes here ; so God is every where, because
he sees all, because veils the most impenetrable,
darkness the most thick, distances the most im-
mense, can conceal nothing from his knowledge.
Soar to the utmost heights, fly into the remotest cli-
mates, wrap thyself in the blackest darkness, eve-
ry where, every where, thou wilt be under his eye.
*' Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or whither
shall I flee from thy presence ?"

But, 2. The knowledge of God is not a bare
knowledge, his presence is not an idle presence ; it
is an active knowledge, it is a presence accompani-
ed with action and motion. We said, just now, that
God was every where, because he iitftuenced all, as
far as influence could agree with his perfections. Re-
mark this restriction, for, as we are discussing a
subject the most fertile in controversy, and, as in a
discourse of an hour, it is impossible to answer all ob-
jections, which may be all answered elscAvhere, w^e
would give a general preservative against every mis-

150 The Omnipresence of God.

take. We mean an influence which agrees with the
divine perfections ; and if, from any of our general
propositions, ye infer any consequences injurious to
those perfections, ye may conchide, for that very
reason, that ye have stretched them beyond their
due bounds. We repeat it then, God influenceth
all things, as far as such influence agrees with his
perfections.

When new beings appear, he is there. He in-
fluences their production. He gives to all life^ mo-
Hon, and being, Acts xvii. 28. Neh. ix. 6. " Thou,
even thou art Lord alone, thou hast made heaven,
the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth
and all things that are therein, the seas and all that
is therein, and thou preservest them all, and the
host of heaven worshippeth thee. — O Lord, I will
praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made ; marvellous are thy works, and that my soul
knoweth right well," Ps. cxxxix. 14, 15, 16. "My
substance was not hid from thee, when I was made
in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts
of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance yet
being unperfect, and in thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned,
when as yet there was none of them. — Thine hands
have made me, and fashioned me together round
about. Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh,
and hast fenced me W'ith bones and sinews," Ps.
xxxvi. 5, 6. When beings are preserved, he is there.
He influences their preservation. " Thy mercy, O
Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reach-
eth unto the clouds. Thou preservest man and

The Omniprestnct of God, 151

beast. When thou openest thy hand they are filled
with good : thou hidest thy face they are troubled,
thou takest av/ay their breath they die, and return
to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they
are created, and thou renevvest the face of the
earth," Ps. civ. 28, 29, 30.

When the world is disordered, he is there. He
influenceth wars, pestilences, famines, and all the
vicissitudes which disorder the world. If nature
refuse her productions, it is because he hath " nictde
the heaven as iron, and the earth as brass," Lev.
xxvi. 19. If peace succeed war, he makes both.
If " lions slay the inhabitants of Samaria," it is
" the Lord who sends them," 2 Kings xvii. 25.
When tempestuous winds break down those im-
mense banks which your industry has opposed to
them, when a devouring fire reduceth your houses
to ashes, it is he who " makes the winds his messen-
gers, and his ministers flames of fire," Ps. civ. 4.

When every thing succeeds according to our
wishes, he is there. He influenceth prosperity.
" Except the Lord build the house, they labour in
vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for
you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread
of sorrows. It is God who giveth his beloved
sleep," Ps. cxxvii. 1, 2.

When our understanding is informed, he is there.
He influenceth our knowledge. For " in his light
we see light," Ps. xxxvi. 10. " He lighteth every
man that cometh into the world," John. i. 9.^

152 The Omnipresence of God.

When our heart disposeth us to our duties, he is
there. He influenceth our virtues. It is he who
" worketh in us, both to will and to do of his own
good pleasure," Phil. ii. 13. i. 29. It is he who
*' giveth us not only to believe, but to sutler for his
sake," Phil. i. 29. It is he who " giveth to all that
ask him liberally, and upbraideth not," James i. 5.

When the grossest errors cover us, he is there.
He influenceth errors. It is God who " sends strong
delusions that men should believe a lie," 2 Thess. ii.
31. "Go make the heart of this people fat, and make
their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they should
see w^ith their eyes, and hear with their ears," Isa.
vi. 10.

When we violate the laws of righteousness, he is
there. He influenceth sins, even the greatest sins.
Witness Pharaoh, whose "heart he hardened," Ex-
od. iv. 21. Witness Shimei, whom " the Lord
bade to curse David," 2 Sam. xvi. 11. Witness
what Isaiah said, " the Lord hath mingled a per-
Terse spuit in the midst of Egypt," Isa. xix. 14.

W^hen magistrates, our earthly gods, consult and
deliberate, he is there. He influenceth policy. It
is he who "hath the hearts of kings in his hand, and
turneth them as the rivers of water," Prov. xxi. 1.
It i§ he who " giveth kings in his anger, and taketh
them away in his wrath," Hos. xiii. 11. It is he
who maketh " the Assyrian the rod of his anger,"
Isa. x. 5. " tierod and Pilate, the Gentiles and the
people of Israel did what his hand and his counsel
determined before to be done," Acts iv. 27, 28.

The Omnipresence of God, 153

When we live, when we die, he is there. He in-
fluenceth life and death. " Man's days are deter-
mined, the number of his months are with him, he
has appointed his bounds that he cannot pass," Job
xiv. 5. " To God the Lord belong the issues from
death," Ps. Ixviii. 20. " He bringeth down to the
grave, and bringeth up," 1 Sam. ii. 6.

He influences the least events as well as the most
considerable. Not being fatigued with the care of
great things, he can occupy himself about the small-
est without prejudice to the rest ; " number the hairs
of our heads," and not let even " a sparrow fall
without his Avill," Matt. x. 29, 30.

But, 3. When God communicates himself to all,
when he thus acts on all, when he diffuseth himself
thus through the whole, he relates all to his own de-
signs, and makes all serve his own counsels : and
this is our third idea of his immensity and omni-
presence. God is present with all, because he di-
rects all.

Doth he call creatures mto existence ? It is to man-
ifest his perfections. It is to have subjects on
whom he may shower his favours; it is, as it were,
to go out of himself, and to form through the whole
universe a concert resounding the Creator's exist-
ence and glory. " For the invisible things of God,
even his eternal power and Godhead are understood
by the things that are made," Rom. i. 20. " The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the firma-
ment sheweth his handy-work. Day unto day ut-
tereth speech, night unto night sheweth knowledge.

VOL. I. 20

154 The Omnipresence of God,

There is no speech nor language where their voice
is not heard, Ps. xix. 1,2, 3.

Doth he preserve creatures ? It is to answer his
own designs, the depth of which no finite mind can
fathom ; but designs which we shall one day know,
and admire his wisdom when we know them, as we
adore it now, though we know them not.

Doth he send plagues, wars, famines ? It is to
make those feel his justice who have abused his
goodness, it is to avenge the violation of his law,
the contempt of his gospel, the forgetting and the
forsaking of the interest of his church.

Doth he afford us prosperity ? It is to draw us
with the bands of love, Hos. xi. 4. it is to reveal him-
self to us by that love which is his essence ; it is to
engage us to imitate him, who never leaves himself
without witness in doing good, Acts xiv. 1 7.

Doth he impart knowledge to us ? It is to discov-
er the snares that surround us, the miseries that
threaten us, the origin from which we sprang, the
course of life that we should follow, and the end
at which we should aim.

Doth he communicate virtues ? It is to animate
us in our race ; it is to convince us that there is a
mighty arm to raise us from the abyss into which
our natural corruption hath plunged us; it is that we
may " work out our own salvation with fear and
trembling, knowing that God worketh in us to
will and to do of his own good pleasure," Phil, ii*
12, 13.

Doth he send us error ? It is to make us respect
that truth which we have resisted.

The Omnipresmce of God. 155

Doth he abandon us to our vices ? It is to punish
us for some other vices which we have committed
voluntarily and freely ; so that, if we could com-
prehend it, his love for holiness never appears more
clearly, than when he abandons men to vice in this
manner.

Doth he raise up kings ? It is always to oblige
them to administer justice, to protect the widow
and the orphan, to maintain order and religion.
Yet, he often permits them to violate equity, to
oppress their people, and to become the scourges of
his anger. By them lie frequently teacheth us how
little account he makes of human grandeurs ; seeing
he bestows them sometimes upon unworthy men,
upon men allured by voluptuousness, governed by
ambition, and dazzled with their own glory ; upon
men who ridicule piety, sell their consciences, ne-
gociate faith and religion, sacrificing the souls of
their children to the infeimous passions that govern
themselves.

Doth he prolong our life ? It is because he is long
suffering to us, 2 Pet. iii. 9. it is because he opens
in our favour the riches of his goodness, and forbear-
ance, to lead us to repentance, Rom. ii. 4.

Doth he call us to die ? It is to open those eternal
books in which our actions are registered ; it is to
gather our souls into his bosom, to hind them up in
the bundle of life, 1 Sam. xxv. 29. to mix them with
the ransomed armies of all nations, tongues, and
people, Rev. vii. 9.

Such are our ideas of the omnipresence of God.
Thus God seeth all, influenceth all, diiecteth alL

1 56 The Omnipresence of God.

In this sense we are to understand this magnificent
language of scripture. " Will God indeed dwell
on the earth ? Behold the heaven, and heaven of
heavens cannot contain thee," 1 Kings viii. 27.
Thus saith the Lord, " The heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house
that ye build unto me ? Do not I fill heaven and
eavih, saith the Lord ?" Isa. Ixvi. L " Am I a God
at hand, and not a God afar off? Can any hide him-
self in secret places that I shall not see him?" Jer.
xxiii. 23, 24. This is what the heathens had a
glimpse of, when they said, that God was a circle,
the centre of which was every where, and its cir-
cumference no where — That all things were full of
Jupiter — That he filled all his works — That, fly
whither we would, v» e were always before his eyes.
This is what the followers of j\iohammed meant,
when they said, that where there were tw^o persons,
God made the third : where there were three, God
made the fourth. Above all, this was our prophet's
meaning throughout the Psalm, a part of which we
have explained. " O Lord, thou hast searched me
" and known me. Thou know est my down-sitting
" and mine up-rising, thou understandest my thought
" afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying
" down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For
" there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord,
" thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me
" behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
" Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, I can-
" not attain unto it. Wliither shall I go from thy
" spirit ? or whither shall I flee from thy presence ?

The Omnipresence of God. 1 57

*" if I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I
" make my bed in hell, beliold thou art there. If I
" take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the
" uttermost parts of the sea ; even there shall thy
" hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
" If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me ;
" even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the
" darkness hideth not from thee ; but the night shi-
" neth as the day : the darkness and the light are
" both alike to thee," ver. 1. and following:.

But perhaps, during the course of this medita-
tion, ye may have murmured at our presenting an
oliject, of which all the preaching in the w^orld can
give you but imperfect ideas. Suspend your judg-
ments, we are going to shew^ you whither this dis-
course, all glimmering as it is, ought to conduct
you. Ye are going to see what salutary conse-
quences follow our efforts, even the weak efforts
that we have been making to explain the grandeur
and omnipresence of God. Let us pass to the con-
clusion, the chief design of this discourse.

1. Our first reflection is on the difficulties that we
meet with in fixing our minds on such subjects as
we have been hearing. Ye have doubtless expe-
rienced, if ye have endeavoured to follow us, that
ye are weary, and wander w hen ye would go be-
yond matter. Our minds find almost nothing real,
where they meet with nothing sensible. As if the
whole essence of beings were corporeal, the mind
loseth its way when it ceaseth to be directed by bo-
dies, and it needs the help of imagination to repre-
sent even those things which are not susceptible of

158 The Omnipresence of God.

images ; and yet whatever is most grand and noble
in the nature of beings is spirit. The sublimest ob-
jects, angels who are continually before God, sera-
phims who cover their faces in his presence, cheru-
bims who are the ministers of his will, thousand
thousands which minister unto him, ten thousand times
ten thousand ?vhich stand before him j Isa. vi. 2. Dan.
vii. 10. What is most glorious in man, what elevates
him above other animals? A soul made in the image
of God himself; the Being of beings, the Sove-
reign Beauty : All these beings are spiritual, ab-
stract, free from sense and matter. Moreover, what
pleases and enchants us in bodies, even that comes
from a subject abstract, spiritual and incorporeal.
Without your soul, aliments have no taste, flowers
no smell, the earth no enamel, fire no heat, the stars
no brilliancy, the sun no light. Matter of itself is
void, and gross, destitute of all the qualities with
which our imagination clothes it, and which are
proper to our souls. What ought we to conclude
from this reflection ? My brethren, have ye any idea
of your dignity, and primitive grandeur ? Have ye
yet some few faint resemblances of beings formed
in the Creator's image ? ye ought, feeble as ye are,
confined as ye are in a manner to matter, ye should
deplore your misery, ye should groan under that
necessity, which, in some sort, confounds your soul
with a little dust, ye should sigh after that happy
state in which your rapid, free and unclogged souls
shall meditate like themselves. This is the fiirst du-
ty that we would prescribe to you.

The Omnipresence of God^ 159

2. Our next reflection is on the majesty of our re-
ligion. That must certainly be thought the true re-
ligion which gives us the grandest ideas of God.
Let our religion be judged by this rule. Where do
we see the attributes of the Supreme Being placed
in so clear a light ? what can be more noble than
this idea of God ? what can be conceived more sub-
lime than a Being whom nothing escapes, before
whom all things are naked and open, Heb. iv. 13.
who, by one single look, fully comprehends all be-
ings past, present and to come, all that do exist, all
that possibly can exist ? who thinks, in the same in-
stant, with equal facility on bodies and spirits, on
all the dimensions of time and of matter ? What
more noble can be conceived than a Being who im-
parteth himself to all, diffuseth himself through all,
influenceth all, giveth life and motion to all ? What
can be conceived more noble than a Being who
directeth the conduct of the whole universe, who
knoweth how to make all concur to his designs,
who knoweth how to relate alike to the laws of
order and equity,' the virtues of the righteous,
the vices of the wicked, the praises of the happy,
the blasphemies of the victims sacrificed to his
vengeance in hell ? When we find in any heathen
philosopher, amidst a thousand false notions, a-
midst a thousand wild imaginations, some few
leaves of the flowers with which our Bibles are
strewed, we are ready to cry a miracle, a mir-
acle, we transmit these shreds of the Deity (if I
may be allowed to speak so) to the most distant
posterity, and these ideas, all maimed, and all de-

160 The Omnipresence of God,

filed as tliey are, procure their authors an immortal
reputation. On this principle, what respect, what
veneration, what deference ou^lit we to have for
the Patriarchs and the Prophets, for the Evangelists
and the Apostles, who spoke of God in so sublime a
manner ! But be not surprized at their superiority
over the great pagan geniusses ; if the biblical writers,
like them, had been guided only by human reason,
like them they would have wandered too. If they
spoke so nobly of God, it w^as because they had
received that " spirit who searcheth all things, yea
the deep things of God," 1 Cor. ii. 10. It was be-
cause " all Scripture was given by inspiration," 2
Tim. iii. 16. It was because " the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,"
2 Pet. i. 21.

3. Make a third reflection. This grandeur of
God removes the greatest stumbling-blocks that
sceptics and infidels pretend to meet with in reli-
gion. It justifies all those dark mysteries which are
above the comprehension of our feeble reason. AVe
would not make use of this reflection to open a
way for human fancies, and to authorise every
thing that is presented to us under the idea of the
marvellous. All doctrines that are incomprehensi-
ble are not divine, nor ought we to embrace any
opinion merely because it is beyond our knowledge.
But when a religion, in other respects, hath good
guarantees, when we have good arguments to prove
that such a revelation comes from heaven, when we
certainly know that it is God who speaks, ought we

The Omnipresence of God. 161

to be surprised if ideas of God, which come so ful-
ly authenticated, absorb and confound us ? I freely
grant, that, had I consulted my own reason only, I
could not have discovered some mysteries of the
gospel. Nevertheless, when I think on the gran-
deur of God, when I cast my eyes on that vast
ocean, w^hen I consider that immense all, nothing
astonishes me, nothing stumbles me, nothing seems
to me inadmissible, how incomprehensible soever
it may be. When the subject is divine, I am ready
to believe all, to admit all, to receive all ; provided
I be convinced that it is God himself who speaks to
me, or any one on his part. After this, I am no
more astonished that there are three distinct persons
in one divine essence ; one God, and yet a Father,
a Son, and a Holy Ghost. After this, I am no more
astonished that God foresees all without forcing
any ; permits sin without forcing the sinner ; ordains
free and intelligent creatures to such and such ends,
without destroying their intelligence, or their
liberty. After this, I am no more astonished, that
the justice of God required a satisfaction pro-
portional to his greatness, that his own love hath
provided that satisfaction, and that God, from the
abundance of his compassion, designed the mystery
of an incarnate God ; a mystery which angels ad-
mire while sceptics oppose ; a mystery which ab-
sorbs human reason, but which fills all heaven with
songs of praise ; a mystery which is the great mys-
tery, 1 Tim. iii. 16. by excellence, but the greatness
of which nothing should make us reject, since reli-
gion proposeth it as the grand effort of the wisdom

VOL. I. 21

1 62 The Omnipresence of God,

of the incomprehensible God, and commandeth us
to receive it on the testimony of the incomprehen-
sible God himself. Either religion must tell us no-
thing about God, or what it tells us must be beyond
our capacities, and, in discovering even the borders
of this immense ocean, it must needs exhibit a vast
extent in which our feeble eyes are lost. But what
surprises me, w hat stumbles me, what frightens me,
is to see a diminutive creature, a contemptible man,
a little ray of light glimmering through a few fee-
ble organs, controvert a point with the Supreme
Being, oppose that Intelligence who sitteth at the
helm of the world ; question what he affirms, dis-
pute wliat he determines, appeal from his decisions,
and, even after God hath given evidence, reject all
doctrines that are beyond his capacity. Enter into
thy nothingness, mortal creature. What madness
animates thee ? How durst thou pretend, thou who
art but a point, thou whose essence is but an atom,
to measure thyself with the Supreme Being, with
Him who fills heaven and earth, with Him whom
"heaven, the heaven of heavens cannot contain?'*
1 Kings viii. 27. " Canst thou by searching find out
God ? Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfec-
tion ? high as heaven what canst thou do ? deeper
than hell what canst thou know ?" .Job xi. 7. " He
stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and
hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up
the waters in his thick clouds, the pillars of heaven
tremble, and are astonished at his reproof. Lo, these
are parts of his ways, but how little a portion is
heard of hhn ; but the thunder of his power who

The Omnipresence of God. 163

can understand ?" Job xxvi. 7, 11, 14. "Gird up
now thy loins like a man ; for I will demand of thee,
and answer tliou me. Where wast thou when I laid
the foundations of the earth ? Declare, if thou hast
understanding. Who hath laid the measures there-
of? who hath stretched the line upon it ? where-
upon are the foundations thereof fastened ? who laid
the corner-stone thereof, when the morning stars
sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for
joy ? Who shut up the sea with doors, when I made
the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a
swaddling-band for it ? when I brake up for it my
decreed place, and set bars and doors, and said,
" Hitherto shalt thou come and no farther : and here
shall thy proud waves be stayed ?" Job xxxviii. 3, 4,
5, &c. " He that reproveth God let him answer
this. O Lord, such knowledge is too wonderful for
me : it is too high, I cannot attain unto it !" Job
xl. 2.

4. But my brethren, shall these be the only in-
ferences from our text ? shall we reap only specu-
lations from this discourse ? shall we only believe,
admire, and exclaim ? Ah ! from this idea of God I
see all the virtues issue which religion prescribes !
If such be the grandeur of the God whom I adore,
miserable wretch! what ought my repentance to be!
I, a contemptible worm, I, a creature whom God
could tread beneath his feet, and crush into dust by

single act of his will, I have rebelled against the

great God, I have endeavoured to provoke him to

jealousy^ as if I had been stronger than he, 1 Cor. x.

22. I have insulted that majesty which the angels

of God adore ; I have attacked God, with madness

164 The Ommpresence of God.

and boldness, on his throne, and in his empire. Is
it possible to feel remorses too cutting for sins which
the grandeur of the offended, and the littleness of
the offender, make so very atrocious ?

5. If such be the grandeur of God, what should
our humility be ! Grandees of the world, mortal di-
vinities, who swell with vanity in the presence of
God, oppose yourselves to the immense God. Be-
hold his eternal ideas, his infinite knowledge, his
general influence, his universal direction ; enter his
immense ocean of perfections and virtues, w^hat are
ye ? A grain of dust, a point, an atom, a nothing !

6. If such be the grandeur of God, Avhat ought
our confidence to be ! " If God be for us, who can
be against us ?" Rom. viii. 31* Poor creature, toss-
ed about the world, as by so many winds, by hun-
ger, by sickness, by persecution, by misery, by na-
kedness, by exile ; fear not in a vessel of which God
Himself is the pilot.

7. But above all, if such be the grandeur of God,
if God be every where present, what should our vi-
gilance be ! and, to return to the idea w ith which
we began, what impression should this thought make
on reasonable souls ! " God seeth me. When thou
wast under the fig-tree," said Jesus Christ to Na-
thaniel, " I saw thee," John i. 48. See Eccle. ii. 23,
24, 25. We do not know^ what Jesus Christ saw
under the fig-tree, nor is it necessary now to en-
quire : but it was certainly something which, Na-
thaniel was fully persuaded, no mortal eye had seen.
As soon, therefore, as Jesus Christ had uttered these
words, he believed, and said, " Rabbi, thou art the
Christ, the son of the living God." My brethren,

The Omnipresence of God, 165

God useth the same language to each of you to-
day : " when thou wast under the fig-tree I saw
thee."

Thou hypocrite, when, wrapped in a veil of re-
ligion, em])ellished with exterior piety, thou con-
cealedst an impious heart, and didst endeavour to
impose on God and man, I saw thee, I penetrated
all those labyrinths, I dissipated all those darknes-
ses, I dived into all thy deep designs.

Thou worldling, who, with a prudence truly in-
fernal, hast the art of giving a beautiful tint to the
most odious objects ; who appearest not to hate thy
neighbour, because thou dost not openly attack
him ; not to falsify thy promise, because thou hast
the art of eluding it ; not to oppress thy dependents,
because thou knowest how to impose silence on
them : / saw thee, w hen thou gavest those secret
stabs, when thou didst receive bribes, and didst ac-
cumulate those wages of unrighteousness, which cry
for vengeance against thee.

Thou slave to sensuality, ashamed of thine exces-
ses before the face.of the sun, I saw thee, when, with
bars and bolts, with obscurity and darkness, and
complicated precautions, thou didst hide thyself
from the eyes of men, " defile the temple of God,
and make the members of Christ the members of a
harlot," 1 Cor. vi. 15.

My brethren, the discourses, Avhich we usually
preach to you, absorb your minds in a multitude of
ideas. A collection of moral ideas perhaps confound
instead of instructing you, and when we attempt to
engage you in too many reflections, ye enter really
into none. Behold an epitome of religion. Behold

16& The Omnipresence of God.

a morality in three words. Return to your houses,
and every where carry this reflection with you, God
seeth me, God seeth me. To all the wiles of the dev-
il, to all the snares of the world, to all the baits of
cupidity, oppose this reflection, God seeth me. If,
clothed with a human form, he were always in your
path, were he to follow you to every place, were
he always before you with his majestic face, with
eyes flashing with lightning, with looks inspiring
terror, dare ye before his august presence give a
loose to your passions ? But ye have been hearing
that his majestic face is every where, those spark-
ling eyes do inspect you in every place, those ter-
rible looks do consider you every where. Particu-
larly, in the ensuing week, while ye are preparing
for the Lord's supper, recollect this. Let each ex-
amine his own heart, and endeavour to search into
his conscience, where he may discover so much
weakness, so much corruption, so much hardness,
so many unclean sources overflowing with so many
excesses, and let this idea strike each of you, God
seeth me, God seeth me, as I see myself, unclean,
ungrateful, and rebellious. O may this idea pro-
duce contrition and sorrow, a just remorse and a
sound conversion, a holy and a fervent communion,
crowned with graces and virtues. Happy, if, after
our examination, we have a new heart! a heaii,
agreeable to those eyes that search and try it ! Hap-
py, if, after our communion, after a new examina-
tion, we can say with the prophet, " O Lord, thou
hast proved mine heart, thou hast tried me, and
hast found nothing," Ps. xvii. 3. So be it. To
God be honour and glory for ever. Amen.

SERMON IV.

The Grandeur of God,

*SS.®<— s.^

Isaiah xl. 12 — 28.

Who hath measured the rvaters in the hollow of his
hand 1 a)\d meted out heaven with a span, and com-
prehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and
weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a
balance ? Who hath directed the spirit of the Lordj
or being his counsellor hath taught him 1 With
whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and
taught him in the path of judgment, and taught
him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of un-
derstanding ? Behold, the nations are as a drop
of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of
the balance : behold, he takcth up the isles as a ve-
ry little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to
burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-
offering. All nations before him are as nothing,
and they are counted to him less than nothing, and
vanity. To whom, then will ye liken God? or
what likeness will ye compare unto him ? the work-
man melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith
spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver
chains. He that is so impoverished that he hath
no oblation, chooseth a tree that will not rot; he
sceketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a

16S 2Vie Grandeur of God.

graven image that shall not he moved. Have ye
not known ? have ye not heard ? Hath it not been
told you from the beginning ? Have ye not under-
stood from the foundations of the earth ? It is he
that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the in-
habitants thereof are as grasshoppers ; that stretch-
eth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth
them out as a tent to dwell in : that bringeth the
princes to nothing ; he maketh the judges of the
earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted^
yea, they shall not be sown, yea, their stock shall
not take root in the earth : and he shall also blow
upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirl-
wind shall take them away as stubble. To whom
then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal ? saith
the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and
behold who hath created these things, that bring-
eth out their host by number : he calleth them all
by names, by the greatness of his might, for that
he is strong in porver, not one faileth. Why say-
€st thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel; 3Iy
way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is
passed over from my God ? hast thou not known ?
hast thou not heard that the Lord is the everlast-
ing God?

The words, the lofty words of the text, require
two sorts of observations : The first are necessary
to explain and confirm the prophet's notions of
God ; the second to determine and to enforce his
design in describing the Deity with so much
pomp.

The Grandeur of God. 169

The prophet's notions of God are diffused through
all the verses of the text. " Who hath measured
the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meied out
heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of
the earth in a measure ? Who hath weighed the
mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance ? Be-
hold the nations are as the drop of a bucket. Behold
he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. It is he
that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the in-
habitants thereof are as grasshoppers."

The prophet's design in describing the Deity
with so much magnificence is to discountenance
idolatry, of which there are two sorts. The first,
I call religious idolatry, which consists in rendering
that religious worship to a creature, which is due
to none but God. The second, I call moral idola-
try, which consists in distrusting the promises of
God in dangerous crises, and in expecting that assist-
ance from men which cannot be expected from God.
In order to discountenance idolatry in religion, the
prophet contents himself with describing it. " The
workman melteth a graven image, the goldsmith
spreadeth it over with gold."

For the purpose of discrediting idolatry in mor-
als, he opposeth the grandeur of God to the most
grand objects among men, I mean earthly kings.
" God, saiih the prophet, bringeth the princes to no-
thing, he shall blow upon them, and the whirlwind
shall take them away as stubble. Why sayest thou,
O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel ; My way is hid
from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over
from my God ?" and so on.

VOL. I. 22

170 The Grandeur of God.

This subject may seem perhaps too copious for
one discourse, however, it will not exceed the lim-
its of this ; and we will venture to detain you a mo-
ment, before we attend to the matter, in remarking
the manner, that is, the style of our prophet, and
the expressive sublimity of our text. It is a com-
position, which not only surpasses the finest pas^
sages of the most celebrated profane authors, but
perhaps exceeds the loftiest parts of the holy scrip-
tures.

" Who hath measured the waters in the hollow
of his hand ? Who hath meted out heaven with a
span ? Who hath comprehended the dust of the
earth in a measure ? Who hath w^eighed the moun-
tains in scales, and the hills in a balance ? All na-
tions before him are as the drop of a bucket. He
taketh up the isles as a very little thing. He sit-
teth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabit-
ants thereof are as grasshoppers." What loftiness
of expression ! The deference that we pay to the
sacred writers is not founded on the beauty of their
diction. They do not affect to come to us with the
enticing words of man's wisdom^ 1 Cor. ii. 4. We
cannot help observing, however, in some of their
writings, the most perfect models of eloquence.
God seems to have dispensed talents of this kind,
in the same manner as he hath sometimes bestowed
temporal blessings of another kind. Riches and
grandeurs are too mean, and too unsatisfying, to
constitute the felicity of a creature formed in the
image of God. Immortal men, who are called to
participate felicity and glory with their God, are

The Grandeur of God, 171

indifTerent to the part which they act, during their
short existence on the stage of time. To them it is
a matter of very little importance, whether they oc-
cupy the highest or the lowest, the most conspicu-
ous or the most obscure posts in society. It signi-
fies but little to them, whether they ride in sumptu-
ous equipages, or walk a-foot. To them it is a
matter of very little consequence, whether superb
processions attend their funerals, or their carcases
be laid in their graves without pomp or parade.
Yet, when it pleaseth God to signalize any by gifts
of this kind, he doth it like a God, if ye will allow
the expression, he doth it so as to shew that his
mighty hands hold all that can contribute to enno-
ble, and to elevate mankind. Observe his munifi-
cence to Solomon. " I have given thee riches and
glory, said the Lord to him, so that there shall not
be any among the kings like unto thee, neither af-
ter thee shall any arise like unto thee," 1 Kings iii.
12, 13. In virtue of this promise, God loaded Sol-
omon with temporal blessings : he gave him all. In
virtue of this promise, silver was no more esteemed
than stones in Jerusalem, (the capital of this favour-
ite of heaven) nor the cedars of Lebanon than the
sycamore trees of the plain, 2 Chron. ix. 27.

God hath observed the same conduct to the her-
alds of religion, in regard to the talents that form
an orator. The truths which they teach are too se-
rious, and too interesting, to need the help of or-
naments. The treasures of religion, Avhich God
committed to them, are so valuable, that it is need-
less for us to examine whetlier they be presented to

173 The Grandeur of God.

us in earthen vessels, 2 Gor. iv. 7. But when the
Holy Spirit deigns to distinguish any one of his
servants by gifts of this kind, my God ! witli what
a rich profusion hath he the power of doing it ! He
fires the orator's imagination with a flame altogether
divine : he elevates his ideas to the least accessible
region of the universe, and dictates language above
mortal mouths.

What kind of elocution can ye allege, of which
the sacred authors have not given us the most per-
fect models ?

Is it the style proper for history ? A historian
must assume, it should seem, as many different
forms of speaking, as there are different events in
the subjects of his narration. And who ever gave
such beautiful models of this style as Moses ? Wit-
ness these words, which have acquired him the elo-
gium of a pagan critic ^ : " God said, let there be
light, and there was light," Gen. i. 3. Witness these^
" Isaac said. My father ; Abraham answered, Here
am I my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the
wood ; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering ?
And Abraham said. My son, God will provide him-
self a lamb for a burnt-offering," ch. xxii. 7, 8. Wit-
ness these words, " Then Joseph could not refrain
himself before all them that stood by him, and he
cried. Cause every man to go out from me : and
there stood no man with him, while Joseph made
himself known unto his brethren. And he lifted
up his voice and wept, and said unto his brethren,

* Longinus, sect. ix.

The Grandeur of God, 173

I am Joseph : doth my father yet live ? Come near
to me, I pray you, I am Joseph your brother,
whom ye sold into Egypt," ch. xlv. 1.

Is it the tender style ? Who ever gave such beau-
tiful models as the prophet Jeremiah ? Witness the
pathetic descriptions, and the aifecting complaints
in the Lamentations : "The ways of Zion mourn,
because none come to the solemn feasts: All her
gates are desolate: her priests sigh : her virgins arc
afiiicted : and she is in bitterness. Is it nothing to
you all ye that pass by ? behold and see, if there
be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. For these
things I weep, mine eye, mine eye runneth down,"
ch. i. 4, 12, 16.

Is it a style proper to terrify and confound ? Wlio
ever gave more beautiful models of this style than
Ezekiel ? Witness, among many others, these ex-
pressions: "Bow weak is thine heart, saith the
Lord God, seeing thou dost all these things : the
work of an imperious whorish woman ? A wife that
committeth adultery, which taketh strangers in-
stead of her husband ! They give gifts to all whores :
but thou givest thy gifts to all lovers, and hirest
them, that they may come unto thee on every side
for thy whoredom," ch. xvi. 30, 32, 33.

Above all, is it the lofty, noble, and sublime
style ? W^hose models are comparable to the prophet
Isaiah's ? Christian preacher, thou who studiest to
convince, to persuade, to carry away the hearts of
the people to whom God hath sent thee, neither
make Cicero nor Demosthenes thy models : inves-
tigate the ideas, and appropriate tlie language of

174 The Grandeur of God,

the inspired writers. — Heat thine imagination at the
fire which inflamed them, and with them, endeavor
to elevate the mind to the mansions of God, to the
light which no man can approach unto, 1 Tim. vi. 16.
Learn of these great masters to handle the sword of
the spirit, and to manage the word of God quick and
power fid, even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, Heb. iv. 12.

But when I propose my text as a pattern of elo-
cution, far from your minds be the idea of a trifling
orator's fraudful art, whose ambition it is to exceed
iiis subject, and to lend his hero the virtues that he
wants. The portrait drawn by the prophet is infi-
nitely inferior to his original. Ye will be fully
convinced of this, if ye attend to the four follow-
ing considerations of the grandeurs of God.

1. The sublimity of his essence. 2. The in>
mensity of his works. 3. The efficiency of his
will. 4. The magnificence of some of his migh-
ty acts, at certain periods, in favour of his church.

First. The sublimiti/ of his essence. The pro-
phet's mind was filled with this object. It is owing
to this that he repeats the grand title of Jehovah,
The Lord, which signifies 1 am by excellence, and
wliich distinguisheth, by four grand characters, the
essence of God, from the essence of creatures.

1. The essence of God is independent in its cause.
God is a self-existent Being. We exist, but ours is
only a borrowed existence, for existence is foreign
from us. There was a time when we were not, and
our origin is nothing : and as we should cease to be
if God were only to give the word, so his word was^

The Grandeur of God. 175

necessary to give us existence at first. But God
exists of himself: Existence is his own: and he
owes it only to himself, and to the eminence of his
own perfections. An idea, in which it is difficult
not to lose one's self, and which is incomprehensi-
ble to us, l>ecause it relates to an infinite attribute,
and because all that is infinite absorbs a finite mind:
but an idea, however, as true as it is incomprehensi-
ble. The existence of a mite, or of a grain of dust,
or even of the most diminutive being in nature, is
sufficient necessarily to conduct us to the indepen-
dent, self-existent God.

Even the atheist is obliged by his ow n principles
to agree with us in this article : I mean the atheist
of some knowledge : the modern atheist. Let us
thankfully own, my brethren, that the improvements
which a sound philosophy hath produced in the sci-
ences, have been communicated even to atheism.
Formerly, atheists could digest such propositions as
these : the world hath not always subsisted ; it was
made of nothing. Now these propositions are too
gross for any to hazard his reputation on the advan-
cing of them. Indeed to affirm, that nothing hath
made the world, is not only to advance an absurdi-
ty, it is to advance a contradiction. To say that
nothing hath created the world, is to say that no-
thing hath not created the world, and to say that
nothing hath not created a \vorld which actually ex-
ists, is to deny the existence of tlie world. No rules
of reasoning require us to answer people, who con-
tradict themselves in so glaring a manner : and on
this article, we rank them with idiots. Modern

1 76 The Grandeur of God,

atheists admit, as we do, a self-existent being. All
the difference between them and us is this ; they at-
tribute this eminent perfection to matter : but we at-
tribute it to God. The atheist derives his existence
from a collection of atoms, which a blind chance
had assembled : we ascribe our existence to a Being
possessed of all possible perfections. The atheist
discovers his God and Creator in a confused con-
junction of bodies destitute of reason : w^e find our
God and Creator in the Supreme Being, the foun-
tain of all existence. But both we and the atheist
are obliged to own an uncreated, self-existent Being.
And as it is easy for a reasonable person to decide
the question, w^hether this perfection agree to God
or to matter, it is easy for him also to comprehend
that God is a self-existent Being.

2. The Essence of God is universal in its extent
God possesseth the reality of every thing that ex-
ists. A celebrated infidel, educated in your provin-
ces, ^ (would to God none were educated here still!)
This infidel, I say, invented a new way of publish-
ing atheism, by disguising it. I am mistaking in
saying neiv : for it would be easy to prove, that the
miserable Spinoza had not the glory of inventing it ;
he only revived a pagan notion, f He says, that
there is a God, but that this God is only the univer-
sality and assemblage of creatures : that every being
is a modification of God ; that the sun is God, as

* Benedict cle Spinoza was born at Amsterdam, and was educa-
ted in the same city mider Francis Vander Ende. Him Mens.
Saurin mieans.

t See Dr. Clarke on the Attributes. Vol. L prop. 3.

The Grandeur of God, 111

giving li^^ht, that aliments are God, as affording
nourishment ; and so of the rest. What a system !
What an abominable system! But this syslem, all
abominable as it is, hath, however, some truth, or
some foundation. God is not diffused through all
these different beings : God is not divided : but he
possesseth all the perfections of the universe, and it
is by this notion of God, that the true religi n is dis-
tinguished from superstition. The superstitious,
struck with the beauty of some particular being,
made that being the object of theh* adoration. One,
struck with the beauty of the stars, said, that the
stars were Gods. Another, astonished at the splen-
dor of the sun, said that the sun was God. Demo-
critus, surprized at the beauty of fire, said, that God
was a material fire. Chrysippus, amazed at the
beauty of that necessity, which causeth every
thing to answer its destination, said, that God was
fate. Parmenides, affected Avith the beautiful ex-
tent of heaven and earth, said, that God was that
extent.

But God is all this, because he eminently posses-
seth all this. An ancient heathen said of CamilJus,
that li^ was the whole Roman republic to him: and
Toxaris,. when he had procured /Vnacharsis the ac-
quaintance of Solon, said to him : " This is Athens,
this is Greece ; thou art no longer a stranger, thou
hast seen the whole." Let us sanctify this tliought
by applying it to God. God is all the Roman re-
public, all Greece, the whole world and all its in-
habitants. Yes, he is the beauty of the stars, the
briglitness of the sun, the purity of fire, the subtil-

TOL. I. 23

ryg The Grandeur of God',

ty of ethereal matter, the expanse of heaven and:
tl]e law of fate ; he is the sagacity of the poiitican^
the penetration of the philosopher, the bravery of
the soldier, the undaunted courage, and the cau-
tious coolness of the general. If, among these
qualities, there be any incompatible with the purity
of his essence, and therefore inapplicable to him,
yet in this sense they belong to him, all are subject
to his empire, and act only by his will. He is, as
an ancient waiter expresseth it, a boundless ocean
of existence. From this ocean of existence all cre-
ated beings, like so many rivulets, flow. From this
ocean of light proceeded the sun with its bright-
ness, the stars with their glitter, along with all the
brillianciesof other beings that approach their nature.
From this ocean of v^isdom came those profound
politicians, who penetrate the deepest recesses of
the human heart; hence those sublime philosophers,^
who explore the heavens by the marvels of diop-
trics, and descend into the bowels of the earth by
their knowledge of nature ; and hence all those
superior geniusses, who cultivate the sciences, and
the liberal arts, and who constitute the beauty of
the intelligent world. " In him we live, and move,
and have our being," Acts xvii. 28. We breathe
his air, and we are animated by his spirit ; it is his
power that upholds, his knowledge that informs, and
his wisdom that conducts us.

3. The essence of God is michangeahle in its ex-
trcise. Creatures only pass from nothing to exist-
ence, and from existence to nothing. Their exist-
ence is rather a continual variation than a perma-

The Grandeur of God. 179

nent stale; and they are all carried away with the
same vicissitudes. Hardly are we children before
we become men : hardly are we arrived at manhood
before we become old ; and as soon as we become
old we die. We love to-day what we hated yester-
day, and to-morrow we shall hate what to-day we
love. David hath given us a just definition of man.
He defines him a phantom, who only appears, and
who appears only in a vain show, Ps. xxxix. 6. But
*' I the Lord change not : the same yesterday, to-
day, and for ever," Mai. iii. 6. Heb. xiii. 8. He is,
as it were, the fixed point, on w hich revolve all the
creatures in the universe, w ithout the partaking him-
self of their revolutions.

4. Finallv, the divine Essence is eternal in its du-
ration : " Hast thou not known, (saith our prophet,)
that he is the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator
of the ends of the earth ?" When we attempt to
measure the duration of God, by tracing it beyond
the first periods of this universe, we lose ourselves
in the unfathomable depths of eternity : we heap
ages upon ages, millions of years upon millions of
years ; but no beginning of his existence can we
find. And when we endeavour to stretch our
thoughts, and to penetrate the most remote futuri-
ty, again we heap ages upon ages, millions of years
upon millions of years, and lose ourselves again in
the same abyss, perceiving, that he can have no end,
as he had no beginning. He is " the ancient of
days, the alpha and omega, the first and the last,"
Dan. vii. 9. " He is, he was, he is to come," Rev.
i. 8. " Before the mountains were brought forth,

180 The Grandeur of God.

before the earth and the world were formed, even
from everlasting to everlasting he is God," Ps. xc. 2.
And, when the mountains shall be dissolved, when
the foundations of the earth shall be destroyed,
when all sensible objects shall be folded up like a
vesture, he will be the everlasting God, Heb. i. 12.
will be, when they exist no more, as he was before
they existed at all.

Secondly, Having judged of the grandeur of
God by the sublimity of his essence, judge of it by
ihe imjnensity of his works. The prophet invites us
to this meditation in the words of my text. " It is
lie that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and
spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in. Lift up
your eyes on high, and behold who hath created
these things. It is he who bringeth out their host
by number, he calleth them all by names. By the
greatness of his might, for that he is strong in pow-
er, not one faileth." But who can pretend to dis-
cuss in a single article of one sermon, a subject,
which whole volumes could not contain ? For if
there be a subject, in which simple narration resem-
bles rhetorical bombast, it is undoubtedly this.

A novice is frightened at hearing what astrono-
mers assert ; that the sun is a million times bigger
than the earth : that the naked eye discovers more
than a thousand fixed stars, which are so many suns
to enlighten unknown systems : that with the help
of glasses we may discover an almost infinite num-
ber : that two thousand have been reckoned in one
constellation ; and that, without exaggerating, they
may be numbered at more than two millions : that

The Grandeur of God. 181

>vhat are called nebulous stars, of which there is an
innumerable multitude, that appear to us as if they
were involved in little misty clouds, are all assem-
blages of stars.

A novice is frightened, when he is told, that there
is such a prodigious distance between the earth and
the sun, that a body, moving with the greatest ra-
pidity that art could produce, would take up twenty-
five years in passing from the one to the other : that
it w ould take up seven hundred and fifty thousand
to pass from the earth to the nearest of the fixed
stars : and to the most distant more than a hundred
millions of years.

A novice is frightened : (do not accuse me, my
brethren, of wandering from the subject of this dis-
course, for the saints, who are proposed in scripture
as patterns to us, cherished their devotions with me-
ditations of this kind : at the sight of these grand
objects they exclaimed, " O Lord, when we consid-
er thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon
and the stars which thou hast ordained ; what is man
that thou art mindful of him ? and the son of man
that thou visitest him ?" Psal. viii. 3, 4. And my
text engageth me to fix your attention upon these
objects : lift up your eyes on high and behold.) A
novice is frightened, when he is assured, that al-
though the stars, which form a constellation, seem
to touch one another, yet the distances of those
that are nearest together cannot be ascertained, and
that even w ords are wanting to express the spaces
which separate those that are the greatest distances
from each other : that if two men were observing

182 The Grandeur of God.

two fixed stars, from two parts of the earth, tire
most distant from each other, the lines that went
from their eyes, and terminated on that star, would
be confounded together ; that it would be the same
with two men, were one of them upon earth, and
the other in the sun, though the sun and the earth
are at such a prodigious distance from each other ;
so inconsiderable is that distance in comparison of
the space which separates both from the star. All
this startles a novice : and yet, what are these bo-
dies, countless in their number, and enormous in
their size ? What are these unmeasurable spaces,
Avhich absorb our senses and imaginations ? What
are all these in comparison of what reason discov-
ers ? Shall we be puerile enough to persuade our-
selves that there is nothing beyond what we see ?
Have we not reason to think, that there are spaces
far, far beyond, full of the Creator's wonders, and
affording matter of contemplation to the thousand
ihoiisands, to the ten thousand times ten thousand in-
telligences that he hath made ? Dan. vii. 10.

Here let us pause. Over all this universe God
reigns. But what is man even in comparison of this
earth ? " Let him reflect on himself," (I borrow the
words of a modern author) " let him consider what
^' he is in comparison of the whole that exists be-
" side : let him regard himself as confined in this
" obscure by-corner of nature : and from the ap-
" pearance of the little dungeon where he is lodged,
** that is, of this visible woild, let him learn to es-
*' timate tl e world, its kingdoms, and himself at
" their real value." Isaiah estimates their real value

The Grandeur of God. 183

in llie words of my text. Behold, says he, " all
nations before him are as a drop of a bucket :" they
are of no more value than the small dust that cleaves
to the balance : " God sittelh upon the circle of the
earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshop-
pers :'* yea, they are still less considerable, " all
nations before him are as nothing."

Thirdly, The immensity of the Creator's works
lead us to the efficiency of his will: and the idea of
the real world conducts us to that of the possible
world. There needs no train of propositions to
discover a connection between what God hath done,
and what he can do. The idea of a creature leads
to that of a Creator : for, in supposing that some
beings have been created, we suppose an author of
their creation. The idea of a creative Being in-
cludes the idea of a Beino- whose will is efficient :
for as soon as ye suppose a creative Being, ye sup-
pose a Being whose will is self-efficient. But a Be-
ing, whose will is self-efficient is a Being who, by
a single act of his will, can create all possible be-
ings : that is, all, the existence of which implies no
contradiction ; there being no reason for limiting
the power of a will that hath been once efficient of
itself. So that as soon as ye conceive a Being who
hath once created, ye conceive a Being who can
always create.

Let us then form this notion of God : a Beino:
who, by a single act of his will, can create now in
empty space, as he hath formerly created. He can
say, of light which doth not exist, what he once
said of that which doth exist, " Let there be light ;"

184 The Grandeur of God,

and there shall be light, like that which actually
is. He can say, of luminaries which are not, what
he hath said of luminaries which already are, " Let
there be lights in the firmament of heaven ;" and
luminaries, that are not, shall be, as those that
once were not are now, and will owe their exist-
ence to that will, which is always irresistible, and
always efficient ; or, as the prophet saith in the
words of my text, to the greatness of his might, to
the strength of his power.

Lastly, To convince you of the grandeur of God
I am to remark to you, " the magnificence of some
of his mighty acts, at certain periods, in favour of
his church." The prophet had two of these pe-
riods in view. The first was the return of the Jews
from that captivity in Babylon Avhich he had de-
nounced : and the second, the coming of the Mes-
siah, of which their return from captivity was only
a shadow.

What wonders did God work in the first of these
periods! Nebuchadnezzar, the tyrant of the Jews,
had obtained universal monarchy, or, as the prophet
Jeremiah expresseth it, he was become the hammer
of the whole earth, Jer. 1. 23. The inspired writers
represent the rapidity of his victories under the em-
blem of the swiftness of an eagle. We can hardly
imagine the speed Avith which he overran Ethiopia,
Arabia, Palestine, Persia, Media, Egypt, Idumea,
Syria, and almost all Asia, and with which he con-
quered all those extensive countries as he marched
through them. Cyrus had been appointed by the
fjord, and nominated by the prophets, to stop his

The Grandeur of God. 18.5

career, and to subdue those Babylonians who had
subdued so many nations. But who was this Cy-
rus ? Son of a father, whose meanness and obscuri-
ty had prevailed with Astyages, king of Media, to
give him his daughter Mandana in marriage ; how
will he perform such prodigious enterprizes ? This
is not all. Astyages was afraid that Mandana's
son should fulfil a dream, of which his diviners had
given him frightful interpretations. He caused her
therefore to reside at court during her pregnancy,
and commanded Harpagus, one of his most devoted
courtiers, to put the child to death as soon as he
should be born. But God preserved the child, and
all the power of Astyages could not make one hair
fall from his head without the divine permission.
Harpagus trembled at his commission, resigned it
to the overseer of the king's flocks, and ordered
him to expose Mandana's son : But, when he was
preparing to obey him, his wife, affected w^ith the
beauty of young Cyrus, prevailed with her husband
to expose her own son in his stead.

Thus, by a train of miracles, was this anointed of
God preserved, and by a train of greater miracles
still, did he stir up the Persians against the Medes,
march at the head of them against the cruel Astya-
ges, defeat him, conquer Media, and at length, be-
siege Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had surrounded
that city with a triple w all, and had replaced the
bricks of Semiramis with free-stone, w hich contri-
buted, says Dion, less to the magnificence than to
the eternity of the empire. The w^alls were an hun-
dred feet high, and fifty broad, so that it was said

VOL. I., 24

I8a The Grandeur of God.

of that great city, it was alike incredible how aii
could form, or art destroy it. But what walls, what
fortifications, can resist the blows of an arm sup-
ported by '' the greatness of the might, the strength
of the power" of the omnipotent God! Every tiling
submits to the valour of Cyrus : he takes Babylon,
and before he hath well secured his conquest, does
homage for the victory to the God who had foretold
it; and releases the Jews from captivity. These
accounts are related by heathen authors, and par-
ticularly by Herodotus, and Justin : God having
determined that the bitterest enemies of revelation
should preserve those monuments which demon-
strate the divinity of our prophecies.

But I said just now, that the return of the Jews
fi'om their captivity in Babylon was only a shadow
of that deliverance, w^hich the Messiah was to bring
into the world : and that the mighty acts, which
God wrought in the first period, were only faint
images of what he would operate in the second.
Accordingly, our prophet had the second of these
periods much more in view than the first in the
words of my text. It is not a love for the marvel-
lous : it is neither a prejudice of education, nor a
blind submission to confessions of faith ; (motives
that produce so much superstition among Christians:)
these are not the reasons of our comment : it is the
nature of the thing ; it is the magnificence of the
prophecies connected with my text ; it is the au-
thority of St. Paul, who, in the eleventh chapter
of his epistle to the Romans, ver. 34. and in the se-
cond of his first epistle to the Corinthians, ver. 16.

The Grandeur of God. 187

intei-prets these words of my text of the gospel.
Who hath hioivn the mind of the Lord / who hath
been his counsellor ? Accordingly, in this second pe-
riod, God hath displayed treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. But we have elsewhere treated this
subject at large, and we choose rather only to hint
tliis article to-day than to incur the just reproach of
treating it imperfectly.

Such then are the grandeurs of God ; and all
that I have lisped out is more properly the title of
the subject, upon which I would ^x your attention,
than the subject itself well digested. INevertheless,
how imperfect soever the sketch may be, it may
serve to convince us, that there is no extravagance
in the prophet's ideas ; that if his language is lofty,
it is not hyperbolical, and that he is always below
the truth, even when he uses these sublime expres-
sions, " Who hath measured the waters in the hol-
low of his hand ? meted the heavens with a span,
comprehended the dust of the earth w ith a measure,
weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a
balance ?" But why doth he describe the Deity with
so much pomp ? This remains to be considered in
the second part of this discourse, which shall also
be the application.

II. We observed in the beginning, that the pro-
phet's design w^as to render two sorts of idolatry
odious : idolatry in religion ; and idolatry in morals.

Idolatry in religion consists in rendering those re-
ligious homages to creatures, which are due to the
Creator only. To discredit this kind of idolatry,
the prophet contents himself with describing it. He

188 The Grandeur of God.

shames the idolater by reminding him of the origin
of idols, and of the pains taken to preserve them.
What is the origin of idols ? The workman meltelh
an image, saith our prophet, and the goldsmith spread-
eth it over with gold. What pains doth the idolater
take to preserve his idols ? He casteth silver chains
to fasten them, and to prevent thieves from stealing
them, or perhaps for fear they should escape through
their own inconstancy. The heathens had been ac-
customed, when they besieged a city, to evoke the
tutelary gods; (Macrobius has preserved a long
form of these evocations^) and the besieged, to
prevent the effects of these evocations, and, to se-
cure their gods from going into their enemies camps,
used to fasten their images with chains. Many
proofs of this might be alleged, but one passage of
Q^uintus Curtius shall suffice. He tells us, that, a
citizen of Tyre having publicly declared that he
had seen in a dream the image of Apollo quitting
the city, the citizens immediately used the precau-
tion of fastening it with a chain of gold.f

* Saturn. III. 9. The following is the form of the incantation.
If you be a god^ or a goddess, under whose guardianshiji the
people and the city of the Carthaginians is, and you, particularly,
nvho have taken upon you the protection of that people and city,
I worship you, and humbly beg you would be pleased to forsake
the fieople and city of the Carthaginians, to abandon their places^
temples, religious ceremonies and cities, and come away, Sec.
Bayle. Soranus Rem. E.

t L. IV. 3. 21. Metu aurea catena devinxere simulacrum,
araeque Herculis, cujus numini urbem dicaverant, inseruere
'vinculum, quasi iilo Deo ApoUinQm retenturi.

The Grandeur of God. 189

But the prophet no less intended to shame idola-
try in morals, which consists in distrusting the prom-
ises of God in extreme dangers, and in expecting
from men a succour that cannot be expected from
God. A man is guilty of moral idolatry, when, in
dangerous crises, he says, " My way is hid from
the Lord ; my judgment is passed over from my
God." Be not surprized at my giving so odious a
name to a disposition of mind, wliich is too common
even among those whose piety is the least suspect-
ed, and the best established. The essence of idol-
atry, in general, is to disrobe tlie Deity of his perfec-
tions, and to adorn a creature with them. There
are indeed many degrees of this disposition. He,
who renders divine honours to the glimmering light
of a taper, is guilty perhaps of a more gross idola-
try, than he who worships the sun. The Egyptian,
who worships a rat, is perhaps more absurd than
the Roman, who ranks a Caesar with the gods.
But, after all, there is so small a difference between
the meanest insect and the greatest emperor, the
glimmering of a taper and the glory of the sun,
when compared with the Supreme Being, tliat there
can be no great difference between these two sorts
of idolatry.

Let us apply this to our subject. God is the sole
arbiter of events. Whenever ye think, that any
more pow erful being directs them to comfort you,
ye put the creature in the Creator's place ; whether
ye do it in a manner more or less absurd : w hether
they be formidable armies, impregnable fortresses,
and \Yell-stored magazines, which ye thus exalt in-

19Q The Grandeur of God.

to deities ; or whether it be a small circle of friends,
an easy income, or a country-house ; it does not sig-
nify, ye are alike idoJaters.

The Jews were often guilty of the first sort of
idolatry. The captivity in Babylon was the last
curb to that fatal propensity. But this miserable
people, whose existence and preservation, whose
prosperities and adversities were one continued train
of obvious miracles, immediately from heaven ; this
miserable people, whose whole history should have
prevailed with them to have feared God only, and
to have confided in him entirely; this miserable peo-
ple trembled at Nebuchadnezzar, and his army, as
if both had acted independently on God. Their
imaginations prostiated before these second causes,
and they shuddered at the sight of the Chaldean
Marmosets, as if they had afforded assistance to their
worshippers, and had occasioned their triumphs
over the church.

Thanks be to God, my dear brethren, that the
light of the gospel hath opened the eyes of a great
number of Christians, in regard to idolatry in reli-
gion. I say a great number, and not all : for how
many parts of the Christian world still deserve the
prophet's reproach? "the workman melteth a gra-
ven image, the goldsmith spreadeth it over with
gold. Have ye not known ? have ye not heard ?**
Blessed be God, we are quite free from this kind of
idolatry ! But how many idolaters of the second
kind do 1 see ?

Ye, who, in order to avert public calamities, sa-
tisfy yourselves with a few precautions of worldly

The Grandeur of God. 191

prudence, and oppose provisions to scarcity, medi-
cines to mortality, an active vigilance to the danger
of a contagion ; and take no pains to extirpate those
horrible crimes, which provoke the vengeance of
heaven to inflict punishments on public bodies ; ye
are guilty of tliis second kind of idolatry, ye stand
exposed to this malediction, " Cursed be the man
that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm,"
Jer. xvii. 5. AYere your confidence placed in God,
ye would endeavor to avert national judgments by
purging the state of those scandalous commerces,
those barbarous extortions, and all those other wick-
ed practices, which are the surest forerunners, and
the principal causes of famine, and pestilence, and
war.

Desolate family, ye, who rested all your expec^-
tations upon one single head ; ye, who made one
single person the axis of all your schemes and
hopes ; ye, who lately saw that person cut down in
the midst of his race, and carried away with the tor-
rent of human vicissitudes ; ye, who see nothing
around you now but indigence, misery, and famine;
who cry in the bitterness of your grief. No more
support, no more protector, no more father ; ye are
guilty of this second kind of idolatry. Ye " trust-
ed in man, ye made flesh your arm." Were God
the object of your trust, ye would recollect, amidst
all your grief, that providence is not inclosed in
your patron's tomb : ye would remember, that an
invisible eye incessantly watches over, and governs
this world ; that God-, " who feedeth the fowls of
heaven, and clothes the lillies of the valley," (Luke

192 The Grandeur of God.

xii. 24, 28.) that a God so i^ood and compassionate,
can easily provide for the maintenance and encour-
agement of your family.

And thou, feeble mortal, lying on a sick-bed,
already struggling with the king of terrors, (.Job
xviii. 14.) in the arms of death ; thou, who trem-
blingly complainest, I am undone ! Physicians give
me over ! Friends are needless ! Remedies are use-
less ! Every application is unsuccessful ! A cold
sweat covers my whole body, and announces my
approaching death ! Thou art guilty of this second
kind of idolatry, thou hast trusted in man, thou hast
madefiesh thine arm. Were God the object of thy
trust, thou wouldest believe that though death is
about to separate thee from men, it is about to unite
thee to God : thou wouldest preclude the slavish
fear of death by thy fervent desires : thou wouldest
exult at the approach of thy Redeemer, Come Lord,
come quickly/ Amen. Rev. xxii. 20. How easy
would it be, my brethren, to enlarge this article !

Dearly beloved, Jlee from idolatry, (l Cor. x. 14.)
is the exhortation of an apostle, and with this ex-
hortation we conclude this discourse, and inforce
the design of the prophet in the text. " Flee from
idolatry," not only from gross idolatry, but from
that which, though it may appear less shocking, is
no less repugnant to the spirit of religion. " Why
gayest thou, O Jacob ; Why speakest thou, O Israel ;
My way is hid from the Lord ; My judgment is
passed over from my God?" The guardianship of
you is that part of the dominion of God of which he
is most jealous. His love for you is so exquisite.

The Grandeur of God. 193

that he condescends to charge himself with your
happiness. The happiness which ye feel in com-
munion with him, is intended to engage you to him:
and the noblest homage that ye can return, the pur-
est incense that ye can offer, is to say to him,
" Whom have I in heaven but thee ? there is none
upon earth I desire besides thee. It is good for me
to draw near to God," Ps. Ixxiii. 25, 28.

If ye place your hopes upon creatures, ye depend
upon winds, and waves, and precarious seasons :
upon the treachery, iniquity, and inconstancy of
men : or, to say all in one word, ye depend upon
death. That poor man is a self-deceiver, who, like
the man in the gospel, saith within himself, " My
soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years :
take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry," Luke
xii. 17, 19. But, I expect to find him, yes, I expect
to find him, at the sound of that voice, which may
this very night require his soul, I expect to find
him in a sick bed. There, all pale, distorted, and
dying, let him assemble his gods ; let him call for
his treasures, and send for his domestics, and ac-
quaintances ; in that fatal bed let him embrace his
Drusillas, and Dalilahs; let him form harmonious
concerts, amuse himself with fashionable diversions,
or feast his eyes with gaudy decorations, the vacu-
ity and vanity of which, in spite of himself, he
will be obliged to discover.

O give me more solid foundations for my hopes !
May I never build my house upon the sand, endan-
gered by every wind and wave ; may the edifice of
my felicity be superior to human vicissitudes, and

VOL. I, 25

194. ^he Grandeur of God.

" like mount Sion, which cannot be removed," (Ps,
cxxv. 1 .) may I build upon the Rock of Ages, and
be able, in public calamities and in my private mis-
fortunes, above all, in the agonies of death, to ap-
propriate those precious promises which God hath
made to his church in general, and to every indi-
vidual in it : " The mountains shall depart, and the
hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace
be removed," Isa. liv. 10.

To this God, of whose grandeur we form such
elevated notions, and upon whose promises we
found such exalted hopes, be honor and glory for
ever, and ever. Amen.

SERMON y.

The Greatness of God's Wisdom, and the Abundance
of his Porver.

Jeremiah xxxii. 19.
Great in counsel and mighty in work.

X HESE words are connected with the two pre-
ceding verses : " Ah, Lord God, behold, thou hast
made the heaven and the earth by thy great power
and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing too hard
for thee. Thou shewest lovino; kindness unto thou-
sands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers
into the bosom of their children after them : the
great, the mighty God, the Lord of hosts is his
liame, great in counsel, and mighty in work."

The text that we have read to you, my brethren,
and which though very short, hath doubtless alrea-
dy excited many grand ideas in your minds, is a
homage which the prophet .Teremiah paid to the
perfections of God, when they seemed to counteract
one another. To make this plain to you, we will
endeavour to fix your attention on the circumstan-
ces in which our prophet was, when he pronounced
the words. This is the best method of explaining
the text, and with this we begin.

.Teremiah was actually a martyr to his ministry,

196 The Greatness of God's Wisdom^

when he addressed that prayer to God, of which this
text is only a part. He was reduced to the disa-
greeable necessity of not being able to avail himself
of the rights of religion, without invalidating the
maxims of civil government. This is one of the
most difficult straits, into which the ministers of the
living God can be brought ; for, however they may
be opposed, people always regard them, if not with
entire submission, yet with some degree of respect,
w^liile they confine themselves to the duties of their
own office, and while, content with the speaking of
heavenly things, they leave the reins of government
in the hands of those to whom Providence hath com-
mitted them. But when religion and civil policy
are so united that ministers cannot discharge their
functions without becoming, in a manner, ministers
of state, without determining whether it be proper
to make peace, or to declare war, to enter into alli-
ances or to dissolve them : how extremely delicate
and difficult does their ministry become ? This was
our prophet's case. Jerusalem had been besieged
for the space of one year by Nebuchadnezzar's ar-
my, and it was doubtful whether the city should ca-
pitulate with that prince, or hold out against him.
God himself decided this question, by the ministry
of the prophet, and commanded him in his name to
address the Israelites : " Thus saith the Lord ; Be-
hold, I will give this city into the hand of the king
of Babylon, and he shall take it. And Zedekiah
king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of
the Chaldeans; but shall surely be delivered into
the hand of the king of Babylon . • . . though

and the Abundance of his Power, 197

ye fight with the Clialdeans, ye shall not prosper,"
ver. 3, 4, 5.

A prediction so alarming was not uttered with
impunity; and Jeremiah was thrown into prison
for pronouncing it: but, before he could well reflect
on this trial, lie was exercised with another that w as
more painful still. God commanded hhn to trans-
act an atfair,' which seems at first sight more likely
to sink his ministry into contempt, than to conciliate
people's esteem to it. He commanded him to avail
himself of the right, which every Israelite enjoyed,
when his nearest relation offered an estate to sale :
a right founded upon an institute recorded in Levit-
icus. God required the Israelites to consider him
as their sovereign, and his sovereignty over them
was absolute," Lev. xxv. They cannot be said to
have possessed any thing as proper ow ners ; they
held every thing conditionally, and in trust ; and
they had no other right in their patrimonial estates
than what tliey derived from the arbitrary will of
God. In order to preserve in them a sense of this
dependence, they were forbidden to sell the lands
which they inherited from their ancestors : " The
land shall not be sold for ever, (saith the Levitical
law,J for the land is mine, and ye are strangers and
sojourners with me," ver. 23. This was not known
to the heathens, for Diodorus of Sicily says, that
" the Jews could not sell their inheritances.^

* The case of the daughters of Zelophedad, related in Numb,
xxvii. 8. procured a general law of inheritance. If a man died
without a son, his daughters were to inherit : if without children,
his brethren were to inherit : if without brethren, his uncle was

198 The Greatness of God's Wisdom^

But as it might happen, that a landholder might
become indigent, and be reduced by this prohibi-
tion to the danger of dying with hunger, even while
he had enough to supply all his wants, God had
provided, tliat, in such a case, the lands might be
sold under certain restrictions, w^hich were proper
to convince the seller of that sovereignty, from
which he would never depart. The principal of
those restrictions were two ; one, that the estate
should be rather mortgaged than sold, and, at the
jubilee, should return to its first master : and hence
it is, that, to sell an estate for ever, in the style of
the Jewish jurisprudence, is to mortgage it till the
jubilee. The other restriction was, that the near-
est relation of him, w ho was obliged to sell his
land, should have the right of purchasing it before
any others, either more distant relations or stran-
gers.

In virtue of this law, Jeremiah had a right io
purchase an estate, which Hanameel, the son of
Shalhun, had offered to sale. The land lay at
Anathoth, a town in the tribe of Benjamin, where
our prophet was born, and was actually occupied
by the Chaldeans at that time. Jerusalem was be-
sieged, and Jeremiah was fully persuaded, and even
foretold, that it would be taken; that the Jews
would be carried away into captivity ; and would
not be re-established in their own country till their

to inherit : if without uncle his nearest relation was his heir.
Grotius says that this law, which preferred an uncle before a
nephew, passed from tlie Jews to the Phenicians, and from the
Phenicians into all Africa. Saurin. Dissert. Tom, II. Disc. vii.

and the Abundance of his Porter, 199

return from Babylon at the expiration of seventy
years. What a time to purchase an estate ! What
a season to improve a right of redemption !

But this command of God to the prophet was full
of meaning ; God gave it with views similar to, but
incomparably surer than those which the Romans
had, when they publicly offered to sell the land
where Hannibal was encamped wlien he was besieg-
ing the city of Rome. What the prophet was com-
manded to do, was designed to be an image of what
the Jews should have the liberty of doing after their
re-establishment. Ye may ascertain that this was
the design of the command given to Jeremiah, if ye
attend to the words which he addressed to God him-
self, in the twenty-fourth verse of this chapter :
*' Behold the mounts, the city is given into the hands
of the Chaldeans : and thou hast said unto me, O
Ijord God, Buy thee the field for money," ver. 25,
27. To this the Lord answers, " Behold, I am the
Lord, the God of all flesh, is there any thing too
bard for me ? Like as I have brought all this great
evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all
the good that I have promised them. And fields
shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is
desolate without man or beast, it is given into the
hand of the Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for
money, and subscribe evidences," ver. 42, 43, 44.

Jeremiah entered into these views, obeyed the
command, and believed the promise : but, to forti-
fy himself against such doubts as the distance of its
accomplishment might perhaps produce in his mind,
he recollected the eminent perfections^ and the mag-

200 The Greatness of God's Wisdom,

nificent works of him from whom the promise came*
"Now when I had delivered the evidence of the
purchase unto Baruch, (says the prophet,) I prayed
unto the Lord, saying, Ah ! Lord God, behold thou
iiast made the heaven and the earth by thy great
power and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing

loo hard for thee Thou art the great,

the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts is thy name,
great in counsel and mighty in work."

The considering of the circumstances that attend-
ed the text is a sufficient determination of its end
and design. The prophet's meaning, which is quite
clear, is, that the wisdom of God perfectly compre-
iiended all that would be necessary to re-establish
the .Jewish exiles in their own land ; and that his
power could effect it. The words are, however ca-
pable of a nobler and more extensive meaning, and
in this larger view we intend to consider them. God
is great in counsel, either, as the words may be trans-
lated, " great in designing, and mighty in execu-
ting:" or, as the same phrase is rendered in Isaiah,
" wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working,"
xxviii. 29. We will endeavour to give you a just
notion of this sublime subject in two different views.

I. We will consider the subject speculatively.

IL We will consider it in a practical light.

We intend by considering the subject specula-
tively, to evince the truth of the subject, the de-
monstration of which is very important to us. By
considering it practically, we intend to convince
you, on the one hand^ of the monstrous extrava-
gance of those men, thgse little rays of intelligence^

and the Abundance of his Power, 201

Avho, according to the wise man, pretend to set
their " wisdom and counsel against tlie Lord," Prov.
xxi. 30. and on the other, of the wisdom of those,
who, while they regulate their conduct by his laws
alone, commit their peace, tlieir life, and their sal-
vation to the care of his providence. This is what
I propose to lay before you.

I. " O Lord, thou art great in counsel, and migh-
ty in work." Let us consider this proposition
speculatively. I shall establish it on two kinds of
proofs. The first shall be taken from the nature of
God : the second from the history of the world, or
rather from the history of the church.

L My first proofs shall be taken from the nature
of God; not that it belongs to a preacher to go very
deeply into so profound a subject, nor to his audi-
tors to follow all the reflections that he could make :
yet we wish, when we speak of the Supreme Being,
that we might not be alw ays obliged to speak super-
ficially, under pretence that we always speak to
plain people. We wish ye had sometimes the
laudable ambition, -especially when ye assist in this
sacred place, of elevating your minds to those sub-
lime objects, of the meditation of which, the occu-
pations, to which your frailties and miseries, or,
shall I rather say, your vitiated tastes enslave you,
ye are deprived in the ordinary course of your
lives.

The nature of God proves that he is great in coun-
sel. Consider the perfect knowledge that he hath
of all possible beings, as well as of all the beings
which do actually exist. \^ e are not only incajia-

voL. I, 20

202 The Greatness of God's Wisdom^

ble of thoroughly understanding the knowledge
that he h'lth of possible beings ; but we are even in-
capable of forming any idea of it. I am not sure that
the reduction of all the objects of our knowledge
to two ideas is founded in reason^ T do not know
whether we be not guilty of some degree of temer-
ity in comprising all real existences in two classes :
a class of bodies, and a class of spirits. I leave
this question to philosophers ; but I maintain, that
it argues the highest presumption to affirm, even al-
lowing that every being within our knowledge is
either body or spirit, that every thing must be re-
ducible to one of these classes, that not only all
real existence, but even all possible existence, must
necessarily be either body or spirit. I wonder how
human capacities, contracted as they are within liin-
its so narrow, dare be so bold as to prescribe bounds
to their Creator, and restrain his intelligence with-
in their own sphere. If it were allowable to ad-
vance any thing upon the ujost abstract subject that
can be proposed, I would venture to say that it is
highly probable, that the same depth of divine in-
telligence, which conceived the ideas of body atid
spirit, conceiveth other ideas without end : it is
highly probable, that possibility, (if I may be al-
lowed to say so) hath no other bounds than the in-
finite knowledge of the Supreme Being. What an
vmfathomable depth of meditation, my brethren 1
to glance at it is to confound one's self. What
would our perplexity be if we should attempt to
enter it ? The knowledge of all possible beings, di-
versified without end by the same intelligence that

wid the Abundance of his Power. 203

imagines them : What designs, or, as our prophet
expresseth himself. What greatness of counsel dolh
it afford the Supreme Being ?

But let us not lose ourselves in the world of pos-
sible beings ; let us confine our attention to real
existences : I am willing even to reduce them to
the two classes, which were just now mentioned.
Let each of you imagine, my brethren, as far as
his ability can reach, how great the counsel of an
intelligence must be, who perfectly knows all that
can result from the various arrangements of matter,
and from the different modifications of mind.

What greatness of counsels must there be in an
intelligence, who perfectly knows all that can result
from the various arrangements of matter ? What is
matter? What is body? It is a being divisible into
parts, which parts may be variously arranged with-
out end, and from which as many different bodies
may arise, as there can be diversities in the arrange-
ment of their parts. Let us proceed from small
things to great. Put a grain of wheat to a little
earth, warm that earth with the rays of the sun, and
the grain of wheat will become an ear laden with a
great many grains like that which produced them.
Give the parts of these grains an arrangement dif-
ferent from that w hich they had in the ear, sepa-
rate the finer from the coarser parts, mix a few drops
of water with the former, and ye will procure a
paste : produce a small alteration of the parts of this
paste, and it will become bread : let the bread be
bruised with the teeth, and it will become flesh, bone,
blood, and so on. The same reasoninsf, that we

204: The Greatness of God's Wisdom,

have applied to a grain of wheat, may be applied
to a piece of gold, or to a bit of clay, and we know
what a multitude of arts in society have been pro-
duced by the knowledge, which mankind have ob-
tained of the different arrangements of which matter
is capable.

. But mankind can perceive only one point of mat-
ter ; a point placed between two infinites ; an infi-
nitely great, and an infinitely small. Two sorts of
bodies exist beside those that are the objects of our
senses, one sort is infinitely great, the other infinite-
ly small. Those enormous masses of matter, of
which we have only a glimpse, are bodies infinitely
great, such as the sun, the stars, and an endless num-
ber of worlds in the immensity of space, to us in-
deed imperceptible, but the existence of which,
however, we are obliged to allow. Bodies infinite-
ly small are those minute particles of matter, which
are too fine, and subtile to be subject to our ex-
periments, and seem to us to have no solidity, on-
ly because our senses are too gross to discover
them, but which lodge an infinite number of organ-
ized beings.

Having laid down these indisputable data, let us
see what may be argued from them. If the know-
ledge that men have obtained of one portion of mat-
ter, and a few different arrangements of which it is
capable, hath produced a great number of arts that
make society flourish, and without the help of which
life itself would be a burden ; what would follow if
they could discover all matter ? What would fol-
low their knowledge of those other bodies, which

and the Abundance of his Power. 205

now absorb their capacities by their greatness, and
escape their experiments by their littleness ? What
would follow if they could obtain adequate ideas of
the various arrangements of which the parts of bo-
dies infinitely great and those of bodies infinitely
small are capable ? What secrets ! What arts ! What
an infinite source of supplies would that knowledge
become ?

Now this, my brethren, is the knowledge of the
Supreme Being. The Supreme Being knows as
perfectly all bodies infinitely great, and all bodies
infinitely small, as he knows those bodies between
both, which are the objects of human knowledge.
The Supreme Being perfectly knows what must re-
sult from every different arrangement of the parts of
bodies infinitely small ; and he perfectly knows what
must result from every different arrangement of the
parts of bodies infinitely great. What treasures of
plans ! What myriads of designs ! or, to use the lan-
guage of my text, W^hat greatness of counsel must
this knowledge supply!

But God. knows spirits also as perfectly as he
knows bodies. If he knows all that must result
from the various arrangements of matter, he also
knows all that must result from the different modifi-
cations of mind. Let us pursue the same method
in this article that we have pursued in the former ;
let us proceed from small things to great ones. One
of the greatest advantages that a man can acquire
over other men with whom he is connected, is a
knowledge of their different capacities, the various

206 The Greatness of God's Wisdom^

passions that govern them, and the multiform pro-
jects that run in their minds. This kind of know-
ledge forms profound politicians, and elevates them
above the rest of mankind. The same observation,
that we have made of the superiority of one politi-
cian over another politician, we may apply to one
citizen compared with another citizen. The inter-
est which we have in discovering the designs of our
neighbours in a city, a house, or a family, is in the
little, what policy among princes and potentates is in
the great world.

But as I just now said of the material world, that
we knew only one point, which was placed between
two undiscoverable infinites, an infinitely great, and
an infinitely small ; so I say of the world of spirits:
an infinite number of spirits exist, which in regard
to us, are some of them infinitely minute, and others
infinitely grand. We are ignorant of the manner of
their existence ; we hardly know whether they do
exist. We are incapable of determining whether
they have any influence over our happiness, or if
they have, in what their influence consists : so that
in this respect we are absolutely incapable of coun-
sel.

But God the Supreme Being, knows the intellir
gent world as perfectly as he knows the material
world. Human spirits, of which we have but an im-
perfect knowledge, are thoroughly known to him.
He knows the conceptions of our minds, the pas-
sions of our hearts, all our purposes, and all our
powers. The conceptions of our minds are occa-^
sioned by the agitation of our brains ; God knows

and the Abundance of his Power. 207

when the brain will be agitated, and when it will be
at rest, and before it is agitated he knows what de-
terminations will be produced by its motion : Con-
sequently he knows all the conceptions of our
minds. Our passions are excited by the presence
of certain objects; God knows when those objects
will be present, and consequently he knows wheth-
er we shall be moved with desire or aversion, hatred
or love. When our passions are excited we form
certain purposes to gratify them, and these purpo-
ses w ill either be effected or defeated according to
that degree of natural or civil power w^hich God
hath given us. God who gave us our degree of
power, knows how far it can go ; and consequently
he knows not only what purposes we form, but what
power we have to execute them.

But what is this object of the divine knowledge ?
What is this handful of mankind, in comparison of
all the other spirits that compose the whole intelli-
gent world, of which we are only an inconsiderable
part ? God know s them as he knows us ; and he di-
versifies the counsels of his own w isdom according
to the different thoughts, delibei-ations, and wishes
of these different spirits. Wliat a depth of know-
ledge, my brethren ! What " greatness of counsel !
Ah, Lord God, behold thou hast made the heaven
and the earth by thy great pow er and stretched out
arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. The
great, the mighty God, the Lord of hosts is thy
name, thou art great in counsel."

We have proved then, by considering the divine
perfections, that God is great in counsel, and we

208 The Greatness of God's Wisdom,

shall endeavour to prove by the same method that
he is mighty in work.

These two, wisdom and power, are not always
united ; yet it is on their union that the happiness
of intelliojent bein:^s depends. It would be often
better to be quite destitute of both, than to possess
one in a very great, and the other in a very small
degree. Wisdom very often serves only to render
him miserable, who is destitute of power ; as pow^
€r often becomes a source of misery to him who is
destitute of wisdom.

Have ye never observed, my brethren, that peo-
ple of the finest and most enlarged geniusses, have
often the least success of any people in the world ?
This may appear at first sight very unaccountable,
but a little attention will explain the mystery. A
narrow contracted mind usually concenters itself
in one single object: it wholly employs itself in
forming projects of happiness proportional to its
own capacity, and as its capacity is extremely shal-
low, it easily meets with the means of executing
them. But this is not the case with a man of supe-
rior genius, whose fruitful fancy forms notions of
happiness grand and sublime. He invents noble
plans, involuntarily gives himself up to his own
chimeras, and derives a p]easure from these ingen-
ious shadows, which for a few moments, compen-
sates for their want of substance : but when his rev-
erie is over, he finds real beings inferior to ideal
ones, and thus his genius serves to make him miser-
able. A man is much to be pitied in my opinion,
when the penetration of his mind; and the fruitful-

and Ike Abundance of fiis Power. 209

ness of Lis invention, furnish him with ideas of a
delightful society cemented by a faithful, solid and
delicate friendship. Recall him to this world,
above which his imagination had just now raised
him ; consider him among men, who know nothing
of friendsliip but its name, or who have at best only
a superficial knowledge of it, and ye will be convin-
ced that the art of inventing is often the art of self-
tormenting, or, as I said before, that greatness of
counsels destitute of abundance of power is a source
of infelicity.

It is just the same with abundance of power with-
out greatness of counsels. What doth it avail to
possess great riches, to reign over a great people, to
command formidable fleets and armies, when this
power is not accompanied with >visdom ?

In God, the Supreme Being, there is a perfect
harmony of wisdom and power: The efficiency of
his will, and the extent of his knowledge are equal.
But I own I am afraid, were I to pursue my medi-
tation, and to attempt to establish this proposition
hy proofs taken from the divine nature, that I should
lose, if not myself, at least one part of my hearers,
by aiming to conduct them into a world, \vith which
they are entirely unacquainted. However, I must
say, that with reluctance I make this sacrifice, for I
suppress speculations, which would afford no small
degree of pleasure to those who could pursue them.
It is delightful to elevate our souls in meditating on
the grandeur of God ; and although God dwelleth
in a light which no man can apjfrroach unto, 1 Tim.
vi. 16. although it is impossible for feeble mortals

VOL. I. 27

21Q The Greatness of GocVs Wisdom,

to have a free access to him ; yet it is pleasing to
endeavour to diminish the distance that separates
them. I cannot but think, that without presuming
too much upon natural reason, any one who habit-
uates himself to consult it, may assure himself of
finding sufficient evidence of this truth, that the ef-
ficiency of God's will is equal to the extensiveness
of his ideas, and by close and necessary conse-
quence, that he is as mighty in work as he is great
in counsel.

Carry your thoughts back into those periods in
which the Perfect Being existed alone. Sound rea-
son must allow that he hath so existed. What
could then have been the rule or model of beings
which should in future exist ? The ideas of God
were those models. And what could cause those
beings that bad onlv an ideal existence in the intel-
ligence of God, actually to exist out of it ? The ef-
ficiency of his will was the cause. The will of the
same Being then, whose ideas had been the exem-
plars, or models, of the attributes of creatures,
caused their existence. The Supreme Being there-
fore, who is great in counsel, is mighty in work.

This being granted, consider now the ocean of
God's power, as ye have already considered the
greatness of his counseL God not only knows what
motion of your brain will excite such or such an
idea in your mind, but he excites or prevents that
idea as he pleaseth, because he produceth or pre-
venteth that motion of your brain as he pleaseth.
God not only knows what objects will excite cer-
tain passions within you, but he excites or diverts

and the Abundance of Ids Poner. 211

those passions as he pleaseth. God not only knows
what projects your passions will produce, when they
have gained an ascendency over you, but he inclines
you to form, or not to form such projects, because
as it seems best to him, he excites those passions, or
he curbs them.

Wliat we affirm of men, we affirm also of all oth-
er intellio;ent beings : they are no less the objects of
the knowledge of God than men are, and like them,
are equally subject to his efficient will : and hence
it is that God knows how to make all fuffil his de-
signs. It is by this that he makes every thing sub-
servient to his glory ; Herod and Pilate, our hatred
and our love, our aversions and our desires ; the
ten thousand times ten thousand intelligences, some
of which are superior to us, and others inferior, all
that they are, all that they have, the praises of the
blessed and the blasphemies of the damned, all by
this mean are instrumental in the execution of his
designs, because the determinations of his will are
efficient, because to will and to do, to form a plan
and to have the power of executing it, is the same
thing with the Supreme Being, Avith him whose
ideas were the only models of the attributes of all
creatures, as his will was the only cause of their
existence.

But perhaps I am falling into what I meant to
avoid; perhaps I am bewildering my hearers and
myself in speculative labyrinths too intricate for us
all. Let us reason then no longer on the nature of
God ; this object is too high for us : Let us take
another method, (and here I allege the second proof

212 The Greatness of God's Wisdom,

of the truth of rny text, that is, the history of the
world, or as I said before, the history of the church :)
Let us take, I say, another method of proving that
God who is great in counsel, is also mighty in rvork.
What counsel can ye imagine too great for God to
execute, or which he hath not really executed ? Let
the most fruitful imagination exert its fertility to
the utmost; let it make every possible effort to
form plans worthy of an infinite intelligence, it can
invent nothing so difficult that God hath not reali-
zed.

It should seem, according to our manner of rea-
soning, that greatness of wisdom and sufficiency of
•power never appear in greater harmony in an intelli-
gent being, than when that intelligence produceth
effects by means, in all appearance, more likely to
produce contrary effects. This, we are sure, God
hath effected, and doth effect every day. And, that
we may proportion this discourse, not to the extent
of my subject, but to the length of these exercises,
we will briefly remark, that God hath the power of
making, L The deepest afflictions of his children
produce their highest happiness. 2. The contrivan-
ces of tyrants to oppress the church procure its es-
tablishment. 3. The triumphs of Satan turn to tho
destruction of his empire.

L God hath the power of making the deepest of
his children's afflictions produce their highest hap-
piness.

The felicity of the children of God, and, in gen-
eral, the felicity of all intelligent beings, is found-
ed upon order. All happiness that is not founded

and the Abundance of his Power, 213

upon order is a violent state, and must needs be of
a short duration. But the essence of order, among
intelligent beings, is the assigning of that place in
their affections to every relative being which is fit
for it. Now there is a fitness in having a higher es-
teem for a being of great excellencies than for one
of small. There is a fitness in my having a higher
degree of affection for one of whom I have receiv^-
ed more benefits, and from whom I still expect to
receive more, than for one of whom I have receiv-
ed, and still hope to receive, fewer. But God is a
being of the highest excellence, to God therefore
1 owe the highest degree of esteem. God is the be-
ing of whom I have received the most benefits, and
of whom I expect to receive the most ; consequent-
ly, to God I owe the highest degree of affectionate
gratitude.

Yet, how often do the children of God lose sight
of this grand principle ? I do not speak only of a
few absent moments, in which the power of thought
and reflection is, in a manner, gone ; nor do I mean
only those violent passions Avhich criminal objects
excite : I speak of a poison much less sensible, and
therefore perhaps much more dangerous. We will
give you one example out of many.

Two pious persons enter into the honourable
state of marriage on principles of virtue, and com-
pose a family that reveres the Creator by consider-
ing him as the only source of all the blessings which
they enjoy. Their happiness consists in celebrating
the benificence and perfections of the adorable God,
and all their possessions they devote to his glory.

214 The Greatness of God's Wisdom^

He blesseth their union by multiplying those who
compose it, and their children imbibe knowledge
and virtue from the womb. The parents taste the
most delicious pleasure in the world, in cultivating
the promising geniusses of their children, and in
seeing the good grain, which they sow in a field fa-
voured of heaven, produce in one thirty, in another
sixty, in another an hundred fold, and they delight
themselves with the hopes of giving one child to the
state, and another to the church ; this to an art, and
that to a science, and thus of enriching society with
the most valuable of all treasures, virtuous and ca-
pable citizens. All on a sudden this delicious un-
ion is impoisoned and dissolved ; this amiable fond-
ness is interrupted ; those likely projects are discon-
certed: an unexpected catastrophe sweeps away
that fortune, by which alone their designs for their
family could have been accomplished ; the child of
their greatest hopes is cut down in the beginning of
his race ; the head of the family expires at a time in
which his life is most necessary to it. A disconso-
late widow, an helpless family exposed to every
danger, are the sad remains of a house just now a
model of the highest human happiness, and, in all
appearance, of the purest piety. Is not this the
depth of misery ?

From this depth of misery, however, ariseth the
highest felicity. The prosperity, of which we have
been speaking, was so much the more dangerous by
how much the more innocent it appeared ; for if the
persons in question had founded it in vice, they
would have quickly forsaken it, as wholly incom-

and the Abundance of his Power. 21.5

patible with their pious principles ; but, as they had
founded it in piety, there is great reason to fear that
they had placed too much of their happiness in
earthly prosperity, and that it had almost entirely
engaged the attention of their minds, and set bounds
to the desires of their hearts. But what is it to en-
gage the mind too much in temj)oral prosperity ? It
is to lose sight of God our chief good in a world
where at best we can obtain but an imperfect know-
ledge of him. What is it to confine the desires of
our hearts to earthly happiness? It is to forget our
best interest in a world, where, when we have car-
ried that love, which God so abundantly merits, to
the highest pitch, we can offer him but a very im-
perfect service. Every object that produceth such
an effect occupies a place in the heart, which is due
to none but God. And while any other fills the
seat of God in the heart, we may indeed have a
kind of happiness, but it must be a happiness con-
trary to order ; it is violent and must be short, f
nm aware that the loss will be bitter in the same de-
gree as the enjoyment had been sw^eet ; but the bit-
terness wall produce ineffkble pleasures, infinitelv
preferable to all those that have been taken away.
It will reclaim us again to God, the only object W'or-
thy of our love, the alone fountain of all our felicity.
This may be inferred from many declarations of
scripture, and from the lives of many exemplars-
saints, as well as from your own experience, if in-
deed, my dear hearers, when God hath torn away
the objects of your tenderest affection, ye have been
so wise as to make this use of your losses, to re-es-

216 The Greatness of God's Wisdom,

tablisli order in your hearts, and to give tliat place
to God in your souls which the object held of
whicli ye have been deprived.

2. God establislieth his church by the very means
that tyrants use to destroy it. But the reflections
which naturally belong to this article, ye heard a
few weeks ago, when we explained these words in
the Revelation, Here is the patience of the saints,^
Rev. xiii. 10. We endeavoured then to prevent
the gloomy fears that might be occasioned in your
minds by those new edicts, which Rome, always in-
tent upon making the kings of the earth drunk rvith
her fornication. Rev. xvii. 2. had extorted against
your brethren. We exhorted you, in the greatest
tribulations of the church, never to lose sight of
that Divine Providence which w^atches to preserve
it.

We reminded you of some great truths that pro-
ceeded from the mouth of God himself; such as,
that the Assyrian was only the rod of his anger, (Isa.
X. 5.) that Herod and Pilate did only what his hand
and his counsel determined before to be done, Acts iv.
27, 28. These truths should be always in our
minds, for there never was a time when we had
more need to meditate on them. The distresses of
our brethren seem to be past remedy. To incorpo-
rate our felicity with that of a church, a considera-
ble part of which hath been so long bathed in tears,
seems as irrational as the conduct of Jeremiah, who,
just before the desolation of Judea, purchased an

* This is the seventh sermon of the twelfth vol. and is entitled,
Le J\''ouveaux Malheurs de VEglise,

and the Abundance of his Power* 217

estate in that devoted country with the money which
lie wanted to alleviate his captivity in Babylon.
Yet, " O Lord God, the God of the spirits of all
ilesh, is there any thing too hard for thee ? Thou
liast made the heaven and the earth by thy great
power, and by thy stretched out arm. Tliou art
the great, the mighty God, the Lord of hosts is thy
name ; great in counsel, and miglity in work,'*
JNum. xvi. 22.

3. Finally, God turneth the victories of Satan to
the ruin of his empire. Here fix your attention
upon the work of redemption, for the perfections
of God, which we celebrate to-day, are more illus-
triously displayed in it than in any other of the
Creator's wonders. It is, if I may be allowed to
express myself so, the utmost effort of the concur-
rence of the greatness of his counsels with the abun-
dance of his poller, I resume this subject, not for
the sake of filling up my plan, but because my text
cannot be well explained without it. Those inspir-
ed writers, who lived under the Old Testament dis*
pensation, always mixed sofuething of the gospel
redemption with the temporal deliverances which
they foretold. One of the strongest reasons, that
they urged to convince the Jewish exiles that God
would restore their country to them, was that their
return was essential to the accomplishment of the
promises relating to the IMessiah. Jeremiah par-
ticularly uses this method in the verses which are
connected with the text. Why doth he exalt the
greatness of God's counsel, and the abundance of his
po?ver I Is it only because, as he expresseth it, " God

VOL. I. 28

218 llie Greatness of God's Wisdom,

would gather the Jews out of all countries whither
he had driven them in his fury," (Jer. xxxii. 37.) so
that men should buy fields in the places about Jerusa-
lem 1 No, but it is because he " would make an
everlasting covenant with them," (Jer. xxxii. 40.)
It is because " at that time he would cause the
branch of righteousness to grow up unto David,"
Jer. xxxiii. 15. Who is this branch? It is he of
whom our prophet had before spoken in the twenty-
third chapter of his prophecy, ver. 5. " Behold the
days come that I will raise unto David a righteous
branch." It is he of whom Isaiah said, " The
branch of the I^ord shall be beautiful and glorious,"
isa. iv. 2. It is he whom God promised by Zecha-
riah after the captivity, in order to convince the
Jews that the promises concerning the branch had
not been accomplished by their release : " Behold
the man whose name is The Branch, he shall grow
Up out of his place, and he shall build the temple
of the Lord/* Zech. vi. 12. It is he whom the Jews
themselves have acknowledged for the Messiah. It
Is the holy seed, who was promised to man after the
fall, and who hath been the object of the church's
hope in all ages. It is eminently in behalf of this
tranch that God hath displayed, as I said before, in
all their grandeur, the abundance of his porver, and
the greatness of his counsel. I do not speak here of
Ihat counsel, which hath been from all eternity, in
the intelligence of God, touching the redemption
'bf mankind. My capacity is absorbed, I own, in
contemplating so grand an object, and to admire
and to exclaim seem more suitable to our finite

and the Abundance of his Power. 219

minds than to attempt to fathom such a prodigious
depth : for where is the genius that can form ade-
quate ideas of a subject so profound ^ A God, who
from all eternity fonried the plan of this universe:
a God, who from all eternity foresaw whatever
would result from its arrangement : a God, who,
from all eternity, resolved to create mankind, al-
though he knew from all eternity that they would
fall into sin, and plunge themselves into everlasting
miseries : but a God, who, foreseeing from all eter^
nity the malady, from all eternity provided the rem-
edy : a God, who from everlasting determined to
clothe his Son in mortal flesh, and to send him into
the world : a God, who, according to the language
of scripture, slew, in his design from all eternity, the

lamb Rev. xiii. 8. But, I repeat it

again, my brethren, it better becomes such feeble
minds as ours to admire and to exclaim, than to
attempt to fathom. Let us content ourselves with
beholding in the execution of this divine plan, how
the victories of Satan have subverted his empire.

What a victory for Satan, when that Redeemer,
that king Messiah, whose advent had been announ-
ced with so much pomp and magnificence, appeared
in a form so mean, and so inferior to the expec-
tations which the prophecies had occasioned, and
to the extraordinary work for which he came into
the world, when he lodged in a stable, and lay in a
manger !

What a triumph for Satan, w^hen Jesus had no at-
tendants but a few miserable fishermen, and a few
publicans as contemptible as their master !

220 The Greatness of God's Wisdom^

What a victory for Satan, when Jesus was appre-
hended as a malefactor, dragged from one tribunal
to another, and, in fine, condemned by his judges to
die!

What a victory had Satan obtained, when the ob-
ject of Israel's hopes was nailed to an accursed
tree, and there ended a life, upon which seemed to
depend the salvation of mankind !

W^hat a triumphant victory for Satan, when he
had inspired the nation of the risen Redeemer to
treat the report of his resurrection as an impos-
ture, and to declare an everlasting war against him
in the persons of all who durst declare in his fa-
vour!

But however, the more impracticable the redemp-
tion of mankind seemed, the more did God dis-
play the greatness of his counsel and the abundance
of his poner in effecting it : for he turned all the
triumphs of Satan to the destruction of his domin-
ion.

The Branch was lodged in a stable, the king of
the universe did lie in a manger ; but a star in the
heavens announced his birth, angels conducted wor-
shippers to him from the most distant eastern coun-
tries, and joined their own adorations to those of
the wise men, who offered to him their gold, their
frankincense and their myrrh.

His attendants were only a few fishermen and
publicans ; but this served the more effectually to
secure his doctrine from the most odious objections
that could be opposed against it. The meaner the
vessel appears, the more excellent seems the trea?-

and the Abundance of his Power, 221

lire contained in it : the weaker the instruments
employed in buildinor the church appear, the more
evident will the ability of the builder be. These
fishermen confounded philosophers; these publi-
cans struck the Rabbles dumb ; the winds and the
waves were subject to their authority ; and to
their commands all the powers of nature were seen
to bow.

He was apprehended like a malefactor, and cru-
cified ; but upon the cross he bruised the serpent's
head while Satan vaunted of bruising his hecly Gen.
iii. 15. Upon the cross "he spoiled principalities
and powers, and made a shew of them openly, tri-
umphing over them in it," Col. ii. 15.

He was wrapped in burying clothes, laid on a
bier, and, with all the momnful funiiture of death,
deposited in a tomb ; but by this he conquered
death, and disarmed him of his sting, 1 Cor. xv.
56. By ttiis he furnished thee. Christian, with ar-
mour of proof against the attacks of the tyrant,
who would enslave thee, and whose formidable ap-
proaches have caused thee so many fears.

He was rejected by his own countrymen, even af-
ter he had risen victorious from the tomb, laden with
the spoils of the king of terrors. Job xviii. 14. but
their rejection of him animated his apostles to shake
oft' the dust from their feet against those execrable
men, who, after they had murdered the master, en-
deavoured to destroy the disciples, and put them
upon lifting up the standard of the cross in every
other pail of the universe, and this the heathen world
>vas bound to his triumphal chariot, and the whole

222 The Greatness of God's Wisdom^

earth saw the accomplishment of those proohecies
which had foretold that he should " reign from sea
to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth."
How great the counsel! my dear brethren, how ?nigh'
ty the work ! " Ah, Lord God, there is nothing too
hard for thee." Thou aii " the great, the mighty-
God, the Lord of hosts is thy name, great in counsel,
and mighty in work."

Here we may pause, and very properly come to a
conclusion of this discourse ; for, though we pro-
posed at first to consider " the greatness of God's
counsel, and the omnipotence of his working," in a
practical light, after having examined them specu-
latively, yet, methinks, the examination of tlie sub-
ject in one point of light, is the explication of it in
both. When we have proved that God is great in
counsel, and mighty hi work, in my opinion, we have
sufficiently shown, on the one hand, the extrava-
gance of those madmen, who, in the language of
the wise man, pretend to exercise " wisdom and un-
derstanding, and counsel against the Lord," Prov.
xxi. 20. and on the other, the wisdom of those, who,
taking his laws for the only rules of their conversa-
tion, commit their peace, their lives, and their sal-
vations, to the disposal of his providence. Only let
us take care, my dear brethren, (and with this single
exhoilation we conclude) let us take care, that we
do not flatter ourselves into an opinion that we pos-
sess this wisdom while we are destitute of it : and let
us take care, while we exclaim against the extrava-
gance of those madmen, of whom I just now spoke,
that we do not imitate their dangerous examples.

\\

and the Abundance of his Power. 223

But what! Is it possil^le to find, among beings
who have the least spark of reason, an indivichial
mad enough to suppose himself wiser than that God
who is great in coimscl, or, is there one who dare re-
sist a God miirhtij in working ! My brethren, one of
tlie most difficult questions, that we meet with in
the study of human nature, is, whether some actions
in men's lives proceed from intentions in their minds.
To affinn, or to deny, is eciually difficult. On the
one hand, we can hardly believe that an intelligent
creature can revolve intentions in his mind directly
opposite to intelligence, and the extravagance of
which the least ray of intelligence seems sufficient
to discover. On the other, we can hardly think it
possible, that this creature shoidd follow a course of
life altogether founded on such an intention, if in-
deed he have it not in his mind. I'he truth is, a
question of this kind may he either affirmed or deni-
ed according to the diiTerent lights in which it is cort-
^idered. Put these cjuestions to the most megular
of mankind: Dost thou pretend to oppose God?
Hast thou the presumption to attempt to prevail over
hhn by thy buperiority of knoAvledge and power ?
Fut these questions simply apart from the conduct,
and ye will hardly meet with one who will not arn
swer No. But examine the conduct, not only of
the most irregular men, but even of those who ima-
gine that theii' behavior is the most prudent ; pene-
trate those secret thoughts, which they involve in
darkness in order to conceal the hoiTor of them from
themselves ; and ye v>'iil soon discover tliat they, wiio
answered so pertinently to your questions when

224 The Greatness of God's IVisdom,

ye proposed them simply, will actually take the op-
posite side when ye propose tiie same questions rela-
tively. But who then, ye will ask me, who are those
men, who presumptuously think of overcoming God
by their superior knowledge and pow er ?

Who ? It is that soldier, who, with a'brutal cour-
age, defies danger, affronts death, resolutely march-
es amidst fires and flames, even though he hath ta-
ken no care to have an interest in the Lord of hosts,
or to commit his soul to his trust.

Who ? It is that statesman, wiio, despising the
suggestions of evangelical prudence, pursues strata-
gems altogether worldly; who makes no scruple of
committing what are called state-crimes ; who, w ith
a disdainful air, affects to pity us, when we aflSrm,
that the most advantageous service, that a wise le-
gislator can perform for society, is to render the
Deity propitious to it ; that the happiest nations
are those " whoseGod is the Lord," Ps. xxxiii. 12.

Who? It is that philosopher, who makes a pa-
rade of I know not v. hat stoical firmness ; who con-
ceits himself superior to all the vicissitudes of life ;
who boasts of his tranquil expectation of death, yea,
W'ho affects to desire its approach, for the sake of
enjoying the pleasure of insulting his casuist, who
hath ventured to foretel that he will be terrified at it.

Who? It is that voluptuary, wlio opposeth to all
our exhortations and thieatenings, to the most af-
fecting denunciations of calamities from God in this
life, and to the most awful descriptions of judgment
to come in the next, to all our representations of
hell, of an eternity spent in the most execrable

and the Abundance of his Power, 225

company, and in the most excrutiating pain ; who
opposeth to all these the buzz of amusements, the
hurry of company, gaming at home or diversions
abroad.

Study all these characters, my brethren, lay aside
the specious appearances that men use to conceal
their turpitude from themselves, and ye will find
that, to dare the Deity, to pretend by superior know-
ledge and strength to resist the w isdom and omni-
potence of God, is not so rare a disposition as ye
may at first have supposed.

Let us abhor this disposition of mind, my breth-
ren ; let us entertain right notions of sin ; let us
consider him who commits it as a madman, who
hath taken it into his head that he hath more know-
ledge than God the fountain of intelligence, more
strength than he beneath whose power all the crea-
tures of the universe are compelled to bow. When
we are tempted to sin, let us remember what sin is :
Let each of us ask himself. What can I, a miserable
man mean ? Do I mean to provoke the Lord to jeal-
ousy 1 Do I pretend to be stronger than he ? Can I
resist his ivill 1 Shall I set briars and thorns against
him in battle ? He will go through them^ he will burn
them together, 1 Cor. x. 22. Rom. ix. 19. Isa. xxvii.
5. Let us seek those benefits in a communion with
the great God, of which our fanciful passions can
only offer the shadows. Let us not pretend to de-
ceive him by the subtilty of our stratagems; but let
us endeavour to please him by acknowledging our
doubts, our darkness, and our ignorance ; the fluc-

voL. I. 29

226 The Greatness of God's Wisdom, ^c.

tuations of our minds about the goTernment of the
state, the management of our families, and above
all, the salvation of our souls. Let us not appear
in his presence boasting of our natural power ; but
let us present ourselves before him weak, trembling,
and undone. By the greatness of his compassion
let us plead with him to pity our meanness and mis-
sery. Let our supplies flow from the fountains of
his wisdom and power ; this is real wisdom ; may
God inspire us with it ! This is substantial happi-
ness ; may God impart it to us ! Amen. To him be
lionour and glory for ever.

SERMON VI.

Tht Holiness of God.

Leviticus xix. 1, 2.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto
all the congregation of the children of Israel, and
say unto them, Ye shall be holy : for I the Lord
your God am holy.

I ADDRESS io all the faithful, whom the devo-
tion of this day hath assembled in this sacred place,
the command which Moses by the authority of God
addressed to all the congregation of Israel. How-
ever venerable this assembly may be, to which I am
this day called by Providence to preach, it cannot
be more august than that to which the Jewish legis-
lator formedy spoke. It was composed of more
than eighteen hundred thousand persons. There
were magistrates appointed to exercise justice, and
to represent God upon eai-th. There were priests
and Levites, consecrated to the worship of God,
and chosen by him to signify liis will to the church.
There were various ranks and degrees of men pro-
portional to so great a multitude of people. God
had given particular laws before, which were adapt-
ed to their different ranks, and to their various cir-
cumstances. But this is a general law : a law which

228 Tlie Holiness of God.

equally belongs to magistrates, priests, and Levites :
a law which must be observed at all times, and in all
places. This is the law of holiness ; Speak unto all
the congregation of the children of Israel^ and say
unto them, Ye shall he holy : for I the Lord your
God am holy,

I repeat it again, my brethren, I address to all the
faithful, whom the devotion of this day hath assem-
bled in this sacred place, the. same precept that God
commanded Moses to address to all the congregation
of Israel. The law of holiness, which I preach to-
day, commands you our supreme governors. Arbi-
ters of your own lav/s, ye see no mortal upon earth
to whom ye are accountable for your conduct, but
there is a God in heaven, whose creatures and sub-
jects ye are, and who commands you to be holy.
The law of holiness commands you, priests and Le-
vites of the New Testament. The sacred character,
with which ye are invested, far from dispensing wdth
your obligation to holiness, enforceth it on you in a
more particular manner. This law commands you
all, my dear hearers, of what order, of what profes-
sion, of what rank soever ye be. If ye be a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people, ye
ought also to be a holy 7iation, that ye may sherv forth
the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 9. Whatever pre-
rogative Moses had above us, we have the same law
to prescribe to you that he had to Israel, and the
voice of heaven saith to us now, as it said once to
him, Speak to all the congregation of the children of

The Holiness of God. 229

Israel, and say unto them. Ye shall he holy : for I
the Lord your God am holy.

This discourse will have three parts. The term
holiness is equivocal, and consequently, the com-
mand ye shall be holy, is so. We will endeavour to
fix the sense of the term, and to give you a clear and
distinct idea of the word holiness : this will be our
fiist point.

Holiness, which in our text is attributed to God,
and prescribed to men, cannot belong to such dif-
ferent beings in the same sense, and in all respects.
We w ill therefore examine in w hat sense it belongs
to God, and in what sense it belongs to men ; and
we will endeavor to explain in what respects God is
holy, and in what respects men ought to be holy :
this will be our second part.

Although the holiness that is attributed to God,
differs in many respects from that which is prescrib-
ed to men, yet the first is the ground of the last.
The connection of these must be developed, and
the motive enforced, ye shall be holy for I the Lord
your God amholy : this shall be our thud part. And
this is the substance of all that we intend to pro-
pose.

I. The term holiness is equivocal, and consequent-
ly, the command, ye shall be holy, is so. Let us en-
deavor to affix a determinate sense to the term, and
to give you a clear and distinct idea of the meaning
of the w ord holiness. The original term is one of
the most vague words in the HebreAV language. In
general, it signifies to prepare, to set apart, to de-
vote. The nature of the subject to which it is ap-

230 The Holiness of God.

plied, and not the force of the term, must diiTct us
to determine its meaning in passages where it occurs.
An appointment to offices the most noble, and the
most woilhy of intelligent beings, and an appoint-
ment to offices the most mean and infamous, are
alike expressed by this word. The profession of the
most august office of the high priesthood, and the
abominable profession of a prostitute, are both cal-
led holiness in this vague sease.

The poorest languages are those in which words
are the most equivocal, and this is the character of
the Hebrew language. I cannot think with some
that it is the most ancient language in the world ;
the contrary opinion, I think is supported by very
sufficient evidence. However, it must be granted^
that it hath one grand character of antiquity, that
is, its imperfection. It seems to have been invent-
ed in the first ages of the world, when mankind
could express their ideas but imperfectly, and be-
fore they had time to render language determinate,
by affixing arbitrary names to all the objects of their
ideas.

This remark may at first appear useless, particu-
larly in such a discourse as this. It is, however, of
great consequence ; and I make it here for the sake
of young students in divinity : for, as the writers of
the Holy Scriptures frequently make use of terms,
that excite seveml ideas, the reasons of their chus-
ing such terms will be enquired : and on such rea-
sons as the fancies of students assign, some maxims,
and even some doctrines will be grounded. I could
mention more mysteries than onC;, that have been

The Holiness of God. 23^1

found in scripture, only because on some occasions
it useth equivocal terms. An interpreter of scrip-
ture, should indeed assiduously urge the force of
those emphatical expressions, which the Holy Spirit
sometimes useth to signify, if I may so speak, the
ground and substance of the truth ; but at the same
time, he should avoid searching after the marvellous
in other expressions, that are employed only for the
sake of accommodating the discourse to the genius
of the Hebrew tongue.

The force of the tenu holiness, then not being suf-
ficient to determine its meaning, its meaning must be
sought elsewhere. We must enquire the object, to
which he devotes himself, who in our scriptures, is
called holy. For, as all those words, ye shall he ho^
ly, for I am holy, are equal to these, ye shall he set
apart, or ye shall he devoted, for I am set apart, or
devoted, it is plain, that they cannot be well explain-
ed unless the object of the appointment or designa-
tion be deterirdned. This object is the matter of our
present enquiry, and on the investigation of this de-
pends our knowledge of what we call holiness.
Now, this subject is of such a kind, that the Aveak-
est Christian may form some idea of it, while the
ablest philosophers, and the most profound divines,
are incapable of treating it with the precision, and of
answering all the questions that a desire of a complete
explication may produce.

The weakest Christians may form (especially if
they be willing to avail themselves of such helps as
are at hand) some just notions of what we call holi-
ness. It seems to me, that in this auditory at least

232 The Holiness of God,

there is not one person, who is incapable of pursu-
ing the following meditation : to which I entreat
your attention.

Suppose, in a ivorld entirely remote from you, a
society, to which ye have no kind of relation, and
to which ye never can have any. Suppose that
God had dispensed with an obedience to his laws in
favour of this society, had permitted the members
of it to live as they thought proper, and had assured
them that he would neither inflict any punishment
upon them for what we call vice, nor bestow any re-
wards on an attachment to what we call virtue. Sup-
pose two men in this society, making an opposite
use of this independence. The one saith to him-
self, Since I am the arbiter of my own conduct, and
the Supreme Being on whom I depend hath enga-
ged to require no account of my actions, I will con-
sult no other rule of conduct than my own interest.
Whenever it may be my interest to deny a trust re-
posed in me, I will do it without reluctance. When-
ever my interest may require the destruction of my
tenderest and most faithful friend, I myself ^^W\ be-
come his executioner, and will stab him. Thus rea-
sons one of them.

The other on the contrary, saith, I am free in-
deed, I am responsible only to myself for my con-
duct, but however, I will prescribe to myself some
rules of action, which I will inviolably pursue. I
will never betray a trust reposed in me, but I will,
with the utmost fidelity discharge it, whatever in-
terest I may have to do otherwise. I will careful-
ly preserve the life of my friend, who discovers so

The Holiness of God, 233

much fidelity and love to me, whatever interest I
ma\ have in his destruction. We ask those of our
hearers, who are tiie least acquainted with medita-
tions of this kind, whether tliey can prevail with
themselves not to make an essential diffierence be-
tween those two members of the supposed society ?
We ask, whether ye can help feelino^ a horror at
the first, and a veneration for the last of these men ?
Now this conduct, or the principles of this conduct,
for which we cannot help feeling veneration and res-
pect, although the whole passeth i;i a world, and in
a society to which we have no relation, and to which
we never can have any, these are the principles, I
say, to which he is devoted, whom our scriptures
call holi/ : these principles are what w e call virtue,
rectitude, order, or as the text expresseth it, holiness.
Ye shall be holy : for I the Lord your God am holy.

Let us proceed a little farther in our meditation,
and let us make a supposition of another kind. Ye
have all some idea of God. Ye have at least this
notion of him, that he is supremely independent,
and that none can punish or reward him for the use
he makes of his independence. Suppose, as well as
ye can without blaspliemy, that he should lavish his
favours on the faithless depositary, whom we just
now mentioned, and should withhold them from the
other : that he should heap benefits upon him, who
would stab his tenderest and most faithful friend,
and expose the other to indigence and misery. Sup-
pose on the contrary, that God should liberally be-
stow his favours on the faithful depositary, and re-
fuse them to the other. I ask those of my hearers,

VOL. r. 30

234 The Holiness of God,

who are the least acquainted with a meditation of
this kind, whether they can help making an essen-
tial difference between these two uses of indepen-
dence ? Can ye help feeling more veneration and
respect for the Supreme Being in the latter case
than in the former ? Now, my brethren, I repeat it
again, the laws according to which the Supreme
Being acts, are the laws to which the person is ap-
pointed, or set apart, who in the holy scriptures, is
denominated holy. Conformity to these laws is
what we call virtue, rectitude, order, or as the text
expresseth it, holiness. In this manner, it seems to
me, that the weakest Christian (if he avail himself of
such helps as are offered to him) may form an ade-
quate idea of holiness.

However, it is no less certain that the ablest phi-
losophers, and the most consummate divines, find it
difficult to speak with precision on this subject, and
to answer all the questions that have arisen about
it. Perhaps its perspicuity may be one principal
cause of this difficulty : for it is a rule, of which we
inform those to whom we teach the art of reasoning
justly, that when an idea is brought to a certain de-
gree of evidence and simplicity, every thing that is
added to elucidate serves only to obscure and to
perplex it. Hath not one part of our difficulties
about the nature of right and wrong arisen from the
breach of this rule ?

From what we have heard, in my opinion, we
^lay infer, that all mankind have a clear and distinct
idea of holiness, even though they have no terms to
express their ideas of it with justness and precision.

The Holiness of God. 235

It seems to me that every mechanic is able to de-
cide the following questions, although they have
occasioned so many disputes in schools. On what
is the difference between a just and an unjust action
founded ; on interest only ? or on the will of the
Supreme Being only, who hath prescribed such or
such a law ? For, since we cannot help execrating
a man who violates certain laAvs, though the viola-
tion doth not at all affect our interest, it is plain, we
cannot help acknowledging, when we reflect on our
own ideas, that the difference between a just and an
unjust action is not founded on interest only. And
since we cannot help venerating the Supreme Be-
ing; more when he follows certain laws than when
he violates them, it is plain, we cannot help acknow-
ledging that there is a justice independent on the
supreme law which hath prescribed it.

Should any one require me to give him a clear
notion of this justice, this order, or holiness, which
is neither founded on the interest of him who obeys
it, nor on the authority of the Supreme Being who
commands it'; this should be my answer.

By justice I imderstand that fitness, harmony, or
proportion, which ought to be between the conduct
of an intelligent being, and the circumstances in
which he is placed, and the relations that he bears
to other beings. For example, there is a relation
between a benefactor who bestows, and an indigent
person who receives a benefit; from this relation
results a proportion, a harmony, or a fitness between
benefit and gratitude, which makes gratitude a vir-
tue. On the contrary, between benefit and ingrat-

236 The Holiness of God,

itude there is a disproportion, a dissonance, or an
incongruity, which makes ingratitude injustice. In
like manner, between one man, who is under op-
pression, and another, who hath the power of ter-
minating the oppression by punishing the oppressor,
there is a certain relation from which results a pro-
portion, a harmony, or a fitness in relieving the op-
pressed, which makes the relief an act of generosity
and st ice.

All mankind have a general notion of this pro-
portion, harmony, or fitness. If they are sometimes
dubious about their duty, if they sometimes hesitate
about the conduct that justice requires of them on
certain occasions, it is not because they doubt whe-
ther every action ought to have that which I call
proportion, harmony, oijitness ; but it is because, in
some intricate cases, they do not clearly perceive
the relation of a particular action to their general
notion of ustice. Every man hath an idea of equal-
ity and inequality of numbers. Every man knows
at once to which of these two ideas some plain and
simple num *ers belong. Every body perceives at
once a relation between the number three, and the
idea of inequality : and every body perceives in-
stantly a relation between the number two and the
idea of equality. But should I propose a very com-
plex number to the most expert arithmetician, and
ask hun to which of the two classes this number be-
longs, he would requue some time to consider, be-
fore he could return his answer : not because he had
not very clear ideas of equality and inequality, but
because he could not at first sight perceive whether

The Holiness of God. 237

the number proposed were equal or unequal. The
arithirietician, whom I have supposed, must study to
find out the relation ; as soon as he discovers it he
will readily answer, and tell me whether the number
proposed be equal or unequal.

Apply this example to the subject in hand. All
mankind, according to our reasoning, have a general
notion of a fitness, that ought to be between the con-
duct of an intelligent being and the circumstances in
which he is placed, and the relations that he bears to
other beings. Always when a man perceives that a
particidar action hath such a fitness, or hath it not,
he will declare without hesitation that the action is
just or unjust. If he hesitate in some cases, it is be-
cause he doth not perceive the relation of the action
in question to this fitness. It belongs to casuists to
solve difficulties of this kind. I perceive at once a
relation between him who receives a benefit, and him
who confers it, and from this relation I conclude that
there is a fitness between gratitude and the circum-
stances of the receiver : therefore I declare, without
hesitating, that gi'atitude is a virtue, and that ingrati-
tude is a vice. But should I be asked whether it
were a virtue or a vice to kill a tyrant, I might hesi-
tate : because I might not at first perceive what rela-
tion there is between the killing of a tyrant and the
fitness that ought to subsist between the conduct of a
subject and his relation to a tyrant.

Should any one still urge me to give him clearer
ideas of that which I call the proportion, the harmony ^
or the Jltness of an action, I woidd freely own that I
rould not answer his enquiry. But, at the same

238 The Holiness of God,

time, I would declare that my inability did not arise
from the obscurity of my subject, but from the all-
sufficiency of its e\^dence. I would recur to the
maxim just now mentioned, that when a subject is
placed in a certain degree of evidence and simplici-
ty, every thing that is added to elucidate, serves only
to darken and to perplex it.

Should my enquu*er still reply that he had no idea
of that which I call the proportion, the harmony, or
the fitness of an action, I should consider him as a
being of a species different from mine, and I should
not think of conversing with him. There are some
common ideas, some maxims, that are taken for
granted, even by the most opposite parties : and
when those maxims are disputed, and those ideas not
admitted, there is an end of conversing and reasoning.

This is a general notion of holiness. But the ho-
liness that is attributed to God, and prescribed to men
in the text, cannot belong in the same sense, and in
every respect, to such different beings. We are go-
ing to examine then, in the second place, in what
sense it agrees to God, and in Avhat sense it agrees to
man.

11. What hath been said of holiness in general,
will serve to explain in what sense God is holy, and
in what sense men ought to be holy. The general
principle of holiness is common to God and man.
The general principle of holiness, as hath been al-
ready shewn, is a perfect proportion, harmony, or
fitness between the conduct of an intelligent being
and his relations to other beings. The holiness of
God is that perfect harmony, proportioi^ or fitness,

The Holiness of God, 239

that subsists between his conduct (if I may be al-
lowed to speak thus of God) and his relations to
other beings. The holiness of man consists in the
same. But as the cu'cumstances and relations of
God differ fiom those of men, the holiness of God
and tlie holiness of men are of different kinds. And
it is tlie difference of these relations that we must
distingiush, if we would give a proper answer to
the questions in hand : In what sense, and in what
respects is holiness ascribed to God ? In what sense,
and in what respects is holiness prescribed to men ?

The first question, that is. What relations hath
God with other beings, is a question so extensive,
and so difficult, that all human intelligence united
in one mind, could not return a sufficient answer.
We have been accustomed to consider our earth as
the principal pail of the universe, and ourselves as
the most considei-able beings in nature. Yet our
earth is only an atom in the unbounded space, in
which it is placed : and we are only a very inconsid-
erable number in comparison of the infinite multi-
tude and tlie endless variety of creatures which the
gieat Supreme hath niade. There is an infinite
number of Angels, Seraphims, Cherubuns, thrones,
dominions, powers, and other intelligences, of which
we have no ideas, and for which we have no names.
God hath relations to all these beings, and on the na-
ture of those relations depends the nature of that or-
der, justice, or holiness, which he inviolably main-
tains in respect to them. But let us not lose our-
selves in these immense objects. Let us only fix our

240 The Holiness of God.

meditation on God's relations to men, and we shall
form sufficient ideas of his holiness.

What relation doth God bear to us? God hath
called us into existence : and there are between us
the relations of Creator and creature. But what
harmony do we think there ought to be between the
conduct of God to us, and the relation that he bears
to us of a Creator to creatures ? Harmony, or fit-
ness, seems to requue, that God having brought
creatures into existence, should provide for theii*
support, and, having given them certain faculties,
shoidd require an account of the use that is made
of them. This is the first idea that we form of the
holiness of God. It does not appear to us fit, or
agreeable to order, that God, after having created in-
tyelligent beings, should abandon them to themselves,
and not regard either theu' condition or their con-
duct. On this principle we ground the doctrine of
Providence, and reject the extravagant system of the
Epicureans.

What relation doth God bear to us ? God hath
given us a revelation. He hath proposed some prin-
ciples to us. Between God and us there are the
relations of tutor and pupil. But what fitness do
we think tliere ought to be between the conduct of
God and the relation of a tutor to a pupil, that sub-
sists between him and us ? It is fit, methinks, that
a revelation proceeding from God should be con-
formable to his own ideas ; and on this principle we
ground the doctrine of the truth, or, as the schools
call it, the veracity of God, and maintain with St.
Paul, even independently on the authority of St.

The Holiness of God. 241

Paul, that " it is impossible for God to lie," Heb.
vi. 18.

What relation doth God bear to us? God hath
made a covenant with us : to certain conditions in
that covenant he hath annexed certain promises.
Between God and us there subsists the relations of
two contracting parties. What fitness do we think
there ought to be between the conduct of God and
that relation of an ally,' which he bears to us ? We
think that there is a hannony, or a fitness, in his ful-
filling the articles of the covenant, and on this prin-
ciple we ground our expectation of the accomplish-
ment of his promises, and believe that " all the prom-
ises of God are yea, and amen," 2 Cor. i. 20.

What relation subsists between God and us ? God
hath given us certain laws. Between God and us
there are the relations of a law-giver and subjects.
What harmony, do we think, there ought to be be-
tween the conduct of God and the relation of a le-
gislator to a subject ? We think, harmony requires
that the laws prescribed to us should be proportion-
al to our ability ; that nothing should be requh'ed
of us beyond our natural power, or the supernatural
assistances that he affords : and on this principle we
reject a cruel system of divinity, more likely to tar-
nish than to display the glory of the Supreme Being:
on this principle we say with St. .Tajiies, " If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that givcth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not," Jam. i. 12.
on this principle we say with St. Paul, that " as
many as have sinned witliout law, shall also perish
without law : and as many as Jiaye sinned in the

VOL. I. 31

242 The Holiness of God.

law, shnll be judged by the law," Rom. ii. 12. Fol-
low this train of reasoning, my brethren, reflect on
the other relations that God bears to mankind, ex-
amine, as far as ye are capable of examining, the
harmony that subsists between the conduct of God
and those relations, and the farther ye proceed in
meditations of this kind, the more just, and the
more enlarged will be your ideas of the holiness of
God.

But perhaps some may accuse me of taking that
for granted which remains to be proved, and of
grounding my whole system of the holiness of God
on a disputed principle, the truth of which I have
not yet demonstrated : that is, that there doth sub-
sist such a perfect harmony or fitness between the
conduct of God and his relations to men. Perhaps
I may be asked for the proofs of this principle, the
ground of my whole s} stem, for if the principle be
doubtful, the whole system is hypothetical, and if it
be false the system falls of itself. I answer, my
brethren, that we have as strong and demonstrative
evidence of the holiness of God as it is possible for
finite creatures to have of the attributes of an infi-
nite Being. We may derive sound notions of the
conduct of God from three different sources, each
of which w ill prove that a perfect harmony subsists
between the conduct of God and his relations to us,
and ail together will fully convince us that God pos-
sesseth in the most eminent degree such a holiness
as V. e have described.

1. We shall be fully convinced that God posses-
seth this holiness if we regulate our ideas of his con-

The Holiness of God. 243

duct by our notion of his nature. Let me beg leave
to remark, to tliose who have been accustomed to
arsjue, that 1 do not mean here an imaginary notion
of God, like that which some divines and some phi-
losophers have laid down as the ground of their ar-
guments. They begin by supposing a perfect be-
ing : then they examine what agrees with a perfect
being : and that they attribute to God. This is
their argument ; " Holiness is an attribute of a per-
fect being : God is a perfect being : Therefore holi-
ness is an attribute of God," VYe do not at present
use this method. I suppose myself suddenly placed
in this world, surrounded with a variety of creatures.
I do not suppose that there is a holy Supreme Be-
ing : but I enquire whether there be one : and in
this manner I obtain a full demonstration. My
knowledge of creatures produceth the notion of a
Creator. My notion of a Creator is complex, and
includes in it the ideas of a grand, infinite, almighty
Being. But the notion of a Being, who is grand,
infinite, and almighty, includes in it, I think, the
idea of a holy Being. At least, I cannot perceive, in
this Being, any of the principles that tempt men to
violate the laws of order. Men sometimes trans-
gress the laws of order through ignorance : but the
grand, the mighty, the infinite Being thoroughly
understands the harmony that ought to subsist be-
tween the laws of order and the most difficult and
most complicated action. Men sometimes violate
the laws of order because the solicitations of their
senses prevail over the rational deliberations of
their minds : but the great, the powerful, the infi-

244 The HMness of God,

nite Being is not subject to a revolution of animal
spirits, an irregular motion of blood, or an inunda-
tion of bodily humours. Men sometimes violate
the laws of order because they are seduced by a
present and sensible interest : But this principle of
a violation of the laws of order can have no place
in God. The great, the mighty, the infinite Be-
ing can have no interest in deceiving such contemp-
tible creatures as we. If then we judge of the con-
duct of God by the idea that we are obliged to form
of his nature, we shall be convinced of his perfect
holiness.

2. We may be convinced of the holiness of God
by the testimony that God himself hath given of his
attributes. The testimony that God hath given of
himself is the most credible testimony that we can
obtain. And how doth he represent himself in the
Holy Scriptures ? He describes himself every where
as a Holy Being, and as a pattern of holiness to us.
He describes himself surrounded with happy spirits,
^vho perpetually cry, " Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
of Hosts."

3. God will appear supremely holy to you if ye
judge by his works. Behold the works of nature,
they proclaim the perfect holiness of God. Consult
that work of nature, your own heart : that heart,
all corrupt as it is, yet retains some faint traces of
the holiness of God, who created it ; so that in spite
of its natural depravity, it still does homage to vir-
tue: it resembles a palace, which, having been at
first built with magnificence and art, hath been mis^
erably plundered and destroyed, but which yet re-

^he Holiness of God. 245

tains, amidst all its ruins, some vestiges of its an-
cient grandeur. Behold society, tliat work of prov-
idence publisheth the supreme holiness of God.
God hath so formed society that it is happy or mis-
erable in the same proportion as it practiseth, or
neglecteth virtue. Above all, behold the work of
religion. What say the precepts, the precedents,
the penalties of religion ? IMore especially, wliat
saith the grand mystery of religion, that mystery
which is the scope, the substance, the end of all the
other mysteries of religion, I mean the mystery of
the cross ? Doth it not declare that God is supreme-
ly holy ?

We have seen then in what respects holiness be-
longs to God, and by pursuing the same principles^
we may discover in what respects it belongs to men.
Consider the circumstances in which men are placed,
and what relation they bear to other beings : Con-
sider what harmony there ought to be between the
conduct of men and their relations : and ye will
form a just notion of tlie holiness that men are com-
manded to practise. There is the relation of a sub-
ject to his prince, and the subject's submission is
the harmony of that relation : in this respect it is
the holiness of a man to submit to his prince. There
is the relation of a child to his parent, and there is
a harmony between the conduct and the relation of
the child when he loves and obeys his parent : Love
and obedience to the parent constitute the holiness
of the child.

The principal relation of a man is that which he
bears to God. Man stands in the relation of a crea-

246 The Holiness of God.

lure to God, who is his Creator : and the conduct
of a creature is in harmony with his relation when
the will of his Creator is the rule of his actions :
The revealed will of God then must regulate the
will of man. Order requires us to submit ourselves
to him of whom we have received all that we enjoy :
All our enjoyments come from God : from him we
derive " life, motion, and existence," Acts xvii.
28, It is impossible then to resist his will with-
out violating the laws of order. Our future pros-
pects, as Avell as our present enjoyments, proceed
from God : our own interest demands then, that we
should submit to his will, in order to a participation
of future favours, which are the objects of our pres-
ent hopes.

We have seen then in what respects holiness be-
longs to God, and in what respects it belongs to men.
But although holiness does not belong, in the same
sense, and in every respect, to beings so different as
God and man, yet the holiness of God ought to be
both a reason and a rule for the holiness of man.
" Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am ho-
ly.^'' This is our third part, and with this we shall
conclude the discourse,

III. The holiness of God, we say, is both a rule
and a reason for the holiness of man. The words
of the text include both these ideas, and will bear ei-
ther sense. They may be rendered, " Be ye holy
as I am holy :" and, according to this translation, the
lioliness of God is a rule or a model of ours. Or,
they may be rendered, " Ye shall be holy, because
I am holy :" and, according to this, the holiness of

The Holiness of God. 247

6od is a reason or a motive of our holiness. It is not
necessary now to enquire which of these two inter-
pretations is the best. Let us unite both. Let us
make the holiness of Gocl the pattern of our holiness:
and let us also make it the motive of ours.

1. Let us make the holiness of God the model of
GUI'S. " The holiness of God is complete in its parts."
He hath all vulues, or rather he hath one vktue that
includes all others : that is, the love of order. He
is equally just in his laws, true in his language, his
promises are faithful, and his thoughts are right. Let
this holiness be our pattern, " Be ye holy as God is
holy." Let us not confine ourselves to one single
virtue. Let us incorporate them all into our system.
Let us have an assortment of Christian graces. Let
us be, if I may express myself so, complete Chris-
tians. Let us " add to our faith vutue, and to vir-
tue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and
to temperance patience, and to patience godliness,
and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness charity," 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7.

2. The holiness of God is infinite in its degrees.
Nothing can confine its activity. Let this be our
model, as far as a finite creature can imitate an in-
finite Being. Let us not rest in a narrow sphere of
virtue, but let us carry every virtue to its most emi-
nent degree of attainment. Let us every day make
some new progress. Let us reckon all that we have
done nothing, while there remains any thing more to
do. Let each of us say with St. Paul, " I count not
myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are beliind, and

248 The Holiness of God.

reaching fortli unto those things which are before, I
press toward the mark," Phil. iii. 13.

3. The holiness of God is pure in its motives. He
fears nothing, he hopes for nothing ; yet he is holy-
He knows, he loves, he pursues holiness. This is
the whole system of his morality. Let this be our
pattern. We do not mean to exclude the grand
motives of hope and fear, which religion hath sanc-
tified, and which have such a mighty influence over
beings capable of happiness or misery. But yet, let
not our inclinations to virtue necessarily depend on
a display of the horrors of hell, or the happiness of
heaven. Disinterestedness of virtue is the charac-
ter of true magnanimity, and Christian heroism. Let
us esteem it a pleasure to obey the laws of order.
Let us account it a pleasure to be generous, benefi-
cent, and communicative. Let us lend, agreeably
to the maxim of Jesus Christ, hoping for nothing
again, Luke vi. 35. and, in imitation of his example,
let us la]/ down our lives for the brethren, 1 John iii. 16.

4. The holiness of God is uniform in its action.
No appearance deceives him, no temptation shakes
him, nothing dazzles or diverts him. Let this be
our example. Let us not be every day changing
our religion and morality. Let not our ideas de-
pend on the motion of our animal spirits, the cir-
culation of our blood, or the irregular course of the
humours of our bodies. Let us not be carried about
with every wind of doctrine, Eph. iv. 14. Let us not
be Christians at church only, on our solemn festi-
vals alone, or at the approach of death. Let our
conduct be uniform and firm, and let us say, with

The Holiness of God. 249

the prophet, even in our greatest trials, Yet God is
good to Israel, Ps. Ixiii. 1. However it be, I will
endeavour to be as humble on the pinnacle of gran-
deur, as if Providence had placed me in the lowest
and meanest post. I will be as moderate, when all
the objects of my wishes are within my reach, as if
I could not afford to procure them. I will be as
ready to acquiesce in the supreme will of God, if
he conduct me through various adversities, and
through " the valley of the shadow of death," as if
he led me through prosperities, and filled me with
delights. Thus the holiness of God must be the
model of ours : " Be ye holy as I am holy."

But the holiness of God must also be the reason
or motive of ours ; and we must be holy because
God is holy : " Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord
your God arn holy."

We groan under the disorders of our nature, we
lament the loss of that blessed but short state of in-
nocence, in which the first man was created, and
which we wish to recover : " We must be holy then,
for the Lord our God is holy." The beauty and
blessedness of man in his primitive state consisted
in his immediate creation by the hand of God, and
in the bearing of his Creator's image, which was
impressed, in a most lively manner, upon his mind.
Sin hath defaced that image, and our happiness
consists in its restoration : that is, in our being " re-
newed after the image of him who created us," Col.
iii. 10.

We wish to enjoy the favour of God : we must
be holy then, " because the Lord our God is holy."

VOL. I. 32

250 The Holiness of God,

They are " our iniquities that have separated be-
tween us and our God :" Isa. lix. 2. And it is lioli-
ness that must conciliate a communion which our
sins have interrupted.

We tremble to see all nature at war with us, and
wish to be reconciled to all the exterior objects, that
conspire to torment us ; we must be holy then, " be-
cause the Lord our God is holy." Sin is a hateful
object to a holy God. Sin hath armed every crea-
ture against man. Sin hath thrown all nature into
confusion. Sin, by disconcerting the mind, hath
destroyed the body. It is sin that hath brought
death into the world, and " the sting of death is
sin."

We w^ish to be reconciled to ourselves, and to
possess that inward peace and tranquility, without
which no exterior objects can make us happy : we
must be holy then, " because the Lord our God is
holy." We have remarked, in this discourse, that
God, -who is an independent being, loves virtue for
its own sake, independently on the rewards that ac-
company and follow it. Nevertheless, it is very
certain that the felicity of God is inseparable from
his holiness, God is the happy God, because he is
the holy God. God, in the contemplation of his
own excellencies, hath an inexhaustible source of
felicity. Were it possible for God not to be su-
premely holy, it would be possible for God not to
be supremely happy. Yes, God, all glorious and
supreme as he is, v/ould be miserable, if he w^ere
subject, like unholy spirits, to the turbulent commo-
tions of envv or hatred, treacliery or deceit. From

The Holiness of God. 251

such passions would arise odious vapours, which
would gather into thick clouds, and, by obscur-
ing his glory, impair his felicity. Even heaven
would afford but imperfect pleasure, if those infer-
nal furies could there kindle their unhallowed flames.
The same reasoning holds good on eaiili ; for, it im-
plies a contradiction, to affirm that we can be happy,
while the operations of our minds clash with one an-
other : and it is equally absurd, to suppose that the
Almighty God can teraiinate the fatal war, the tragi-
cal field of which is the human heart, without the
re-establishing of the dominion of holiness.

We desire to experience the most close and ten-
der communion with God, next Lord's day, in re-
ceiving the holy sacrament: Let us be holy then,
" because the Lord our God is holy." This august
ceremony may be considered in several points of
view : and one of them deserves a peculiar attention.
The table of the Lord's supper hath been compared,
by some, to that which was formerly set, by the
command of God, in the holy place : I mean, the ta-
ble of shew bread, or bread of the jiresence, Ex. xxv.
30. God commanded Moses to set twelve loaves
upon the table, to change them every sabbath, and
to give those that w^ere taken away to the priests,
who were to eat them in the holy place. Lev. xxiv. 6,
&-C. What was the end of these ceremonial institu-
tions ? The tabernacle at first was considered as the
tent, and the temple afterward as the palace of the
Deity, who dwelt among the Israelites. In the pa-
lace of God, it was natural to expect a table for the
use of him and his attendants. This w^as one of the

252 The Holiness of God.

most glorious privileges that the Israelites enjoyed,
and one of the most august symbols of the presence
of God among them. God and all the people of
Israel, in the persons of their ministers, were ac-
counted to eat the same bread. The heathens, strick-
en with the beauty of these ideas, incorporated them
into their theology. They adopted the thought, and
set, in their temples, tables consecrated to their gods.
The prophet Isaiah reproacheth the Jews with forsak-
ing the Lord, forgetting his holy mountain, and pre-
paring a table for the host of heaven, Isa. Ixv. 2.
And Ezekiel reckons among the virtues of a just
man, that he had not eaten upon the mountains, Ez.
xviii. 6. It was upon tables of this kind that idol-
aters sometimes ate the remains of those victims
which they had sacrificed to their gods. This they
called eating with gods; and Homer introduceth
Alcinous saying, " The gods visit us, when we sa-
crifice hecatombs, and sit down with us at the same
table."

This is one of the most beautiful notions, under
which we can consider the sacrament of the Lord's
supper. There we eat with God. God sitteth
down with us at the same table, and so causeth us
to experience the meaning of this promise, " Be-
hold, I stand at the door, and knock ; if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in
to him, and will sup with him, and he with me,"
Rev. iii. 20. But what do such close connections
with a holy God require of us ? They require us to
be holy. They cry to us, as the voice cried to
Moses from the midst of the burning bush, " Draw

The Holiness of God. 253

not nigh hither ; put of!* thy shoes from off ihy feet ;
for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
Ex. iii. 5.

God is supremely holy : God supremely loveth
order. Order requires you to leave vengeance to
God, to pardon your bitterest, and most professed
enemies; and what is more difficult still, order re-
quires you to pardon your most subtle and secret
foes. Would ye approach the table of a holy God
gnavvn with a spirit of animosity, hatred, or ven-
geance ?

God is supremely holy : God supremely loveth
order. Order requires you to dedicate a part of
those blessings to charity, with which Providence
hath entrusted you; to retrench the superfluities
of your tables, in order to enable you to assist the
starving and dying poor. Would ye approach the
table of a holy God with hearts hardened with in-
difference to that poor man whom God hath com-
manded you to love as yourselves ?

God is supremely holy : God supremely loveth
order. Order requires you to be affected with the
tokens of divine love. All are displayed at the
Lord's table. There the bloody history of your
Redeemer's sufferings is again exhibited to view.
There the blood, that Christ the victim shed for
your crimes, flows afresh. There God recounts all
the mysteries of the cross. Would ye approach
that table cold and languishing ? Would ye ap-
proach that table without returning to Jesus Christ
love for love, and tenderness for tenderness ? Would
ye approach that table void of every sentiment and

254 The Holiness of God.

emotion, Avbich tlie venerable symbols of the love
of God must needs produce in every honest heart ?
Ah ! my brethren, were ye to approach the table
of Jesus Christ without these dispositions, ye would
come, not like St. John, or St. Peter, but, like Ju-
das. This would not be to receive an earnest of
salvation, but to " eat and drink your own damna-
tion," 1 Cor. xi. 29. This would not be to receive
the body of Jesus Christ : this would be to surren-
der yourselves to Satan.

I can hardly allow^ myself to entertain such mel-
ancholy thoughts. Come to the table of Jesus
Christ, and enter into a closer communion with a
holi/ God. Come and devote yourselves entirely to
the service of a holj/ God. Come and arranoe the
operations of your minds by the perfections of a ha-
ll/ God. Come and diminish the grief, that ye feel,
because, in spite of all your endeavours to be Ao/y
as God is holy, ye are so far inferior to his glorious
example. But, at the same time, come and receive
fresh assurances, that ye are formed for a more per-
fect period of holiness. Come and receive the pro-
mises of God, who will assure you, that ye shall
one day see him as he is, and he like him 1 .lohn iii.
2. May God grant us this blessing ! To him be hon-
our and glory forever. Amen.

SERMON ^71.

The Compassion of God.

Psalm ciii. 13.

Like as a father piiieih his children, so the Lord
jriticth them that fear him.

Among many frivolous excuses, which mankind
have invented to exculpate their barrenness under
a gospel-ministrr, there is one that deserves respect.
Why, say they, do ye address men as if they were
destitute of the sentiments of humanity ? Why do
ye treat Christians like slaves ? Why do ye per-
petually urge, in your preaching, motives of wrath,
vengeance, the norm that never dies, the fire that
is never quenched ? Isa. Ixvi. 24. Motives of this
kind fill the heart with rebellion instead of con-
ciliating it by love. Mankind have a fund of sen-
sibility and tenderness. Let the tender motives
that our legislator hath diffused throughout our
Bibles, be pressed upon us ; and then every sermon
would produce some conversions, and your com-
plaints of Christians would cease with the causes
that produce them.

I call this excuse frivolous : for how iittle must
we know of human nature, to suppose men so very
sensible to the attractives of religion ! Where is the
minister of the gospel, who hath not displayed the

256 The Compassion of God.

charms of religion a thousand, and a thousand times,
and displayed them in vain ? Some souls must be
terrified, some sinners must be saved hij fear, and
pulled out of the fire, Jude 23. There are some
hearts that are sensible to only one object in reli-
gion, that is hell ; and, if any way remain to pre-
vent their actual destruction hereafter, it is to over-
whelm their souls with the present fear of it : "know-
ing therefore the terrors of the Lord, we persuade
men."

Yet, however frivolous this pretext may appear,
there is a something in it that merits respect. I am
pleased to see those men, who have not been asham-
ed to say that the Lord's yoke is intolerable, driven
to abjure so odious a system : I love to hear them
acknowledge, that religion is supported by motives
fitted to ingenuous minds ; and that the God from
whom it proceeds, hath discovered so much be-
nevolence and love in the gift, that it is impossi-
ble not to be affected with it, if we be capable of
feeling.

I cannot tell, my brethren, whether among these
Christians, whom the holiness of this day hath as-
sembled in this sacred place, there be many, who
have availed themselves of the frivolous pretence
just now mentioned; and who have sometimes wick-
edly determined to despise eternal torments, under
an extravagant pretence that the ministers of the
gospel too often preach, and too dismally describe
them. But, without requiring your answer to so
mortifying a question, without endeavouring to make
you contradict yourselves, we invite you to behold

The Compasnon of God. 257

those attractives to-day, to which ye boast of being
go very sensible. Come and see the Supreme Le-
gislator, to whom we would devote your services ;
behold him, not as an aven2;ing God, not as a con-
suming God, not shaking the earth, and overturning
the mountains in his anger, .lob ix. 4, 5. not thunder-
ing in the heavens, shooting out lightnings, or giving
his voice in hailstones and coals of Jive, Psa. xviii. 13,
14. but putting on such tender emotions for you as
ye feel for your children. In this light the prophet
places him in the text and in this light we are going
to place him in this discourse.

O ye marble hearts ! so often insensible to the ter-
rors of our ministry; may God compel you to-day
to feel its attracting promises ! O ye marble hearts !
against which the edge of the sword of the Almigh-
ty's avenging justice hath been so often blunted; the
Lord grant that ye may be this day dissolved by the
energy of his love ! Amen.

" Like as a father pitieth his children, so doth the
Lord pity them that fear him." Before w^e attempt
to explain the text, we must premise one remark,
which is generally granted, when it is proposed in a
vague manner, and almost as generally denied in its
consequences : that is, that the most complete notion
which we can form of a divine attribute, is to sup-
pose it in perfect harmony w ith every other divine
attribute.

The most lovely idea that we can form of the
Deity, afid which, at the same time, is the most solid
ground of our faith in his word, and of our confi-
dence in the performance of his promises, is that

VOL. I. 33

258 The Compassion of God,

which represents him as an unifonn being, whose at-
tributes harmonize, and who is always consistent
with himself. There is no greater character of im-
perfection in any intelligent being than the want of
this harmony : when one of his attributes opposeth
another of his attributes ; when the same attribute
opposeth itself; when his wisdom is not supported
by his power ; or when his power is not directed by
his wisdom.

This character of imperfection, essential to all
creatures, ]s the ground of those prohibitions that
we meet with in the holy scriptures, in regard to
the objects of our trust. " Put not your trust in
princes, nor in the son of man in whom there is no
help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his
earth, in that very day his thoughts perish," Psa.
cxlvi. 3, 4. " Cursed be the man that trusteth in
man, and maketh flesh his arm," Jer. xvii. 5. Why ?
Because it is not safe to confide in man, imless he
have such a harmony of attributes, as we have just
now described ; and because no man hath such a
harmony. His power may assist you, but, un-
less he have wisdom to direct his power, the very
means that he would use to make you happy,
would make you miserable. Even his power would
not harmonize with itself, in regard to you, if it
were sufficient to supply your wants to-day, but
not to-morrow. That man, that prince, that mortal,
to whom thou givest the superb titles of Potentate,
Monarch, Arbiter of peace, and Arbiter of war;
that mortal who is alive to-day, will die to-morrow,
the breath that animates him will evaporate, lie

The Compassion of God. 259

will return to his earth, and all his kind regards for
thee will vanish with him.

But the perfections of God are in perfect harmo-
ny. This truth shall guide us through this dis-
course, and shall arrange its parts : And this is the
likeliest way that we can tliink of, to preserve the
dignity of our subject, to avoid its numerous diffi-
culties, to preclude such fatal inferences as our
weak and wicked passions have been too well ac-
customed to draw from the subject, and to verify
the prophet's proposition in its noblest meaning,
" Like as a father pitieth his children, so doth the
Lord pity them that fear him."

Would ye form a just notion of the goodness of
God, (for the original term, that our translators
have rendered pity, is equivocal, and is used in this
vague sense in the holy scriptures.) Would ye
form a just notion of the goodness of God ? Then,
conceive a perfection that is always in harmony
with,

I. The spirituality of his essence.

II. The inconceivableness of his nature.
in. The holiness of his designs.

lY. The independence of his principles.

V. The immutability of his will.

VI. The efficacy of his power. But above all,
YII. With the veracity of his word.

1. The goodness of God must agree with the spi-
rituality of his essence. Compassion, among men,
is that mechanical emotion, which is produced in
them by the sight of distressed objects. I allow
that the wisdom of the Creator is very much dis-

260 The Compassion of God,

played in uniting us together in such a manner.
Ideas of fitness seldom make much impression on
the bulk of mankind ; it was necessary therefore to
make sensibility supply the want of reflection, and,
by a counter-blow, with which the miseries of a
neighbour strike our feelings, to produce a dispo-
sition in us to relieve him. Nature produceth but
few monsters, who regale themselves on the suffer-
ings of the wretched. Here, or there, hath been a
Phalaris, who hath delighted his ears with the shrieks
of a fellow-creature burnin«: in a brazen bull : And
some, whose minds were filled with ideas of a reli-
gion more barbarous and inhuman than that of the
Bacchanalians, have been pleased with tormenting
those victims, which they sacrificed not to God, the
father of mankind, but to him who is their murder-
er : But none, except people of these kinds, have
been able to eradicate those emotions of pity, with
which a wise and compassionate God hath formed
them.

But this sensibility degenerates into folly, when
it is not supported by ideas of order, and when me-
chanical emotions prevail over the rational dictates
of the mind. It is a weakness, it is not a love wor-
thy of an intelligent being, that inclines a tender
mother to pull back the arm of him, w^ho is about
to perform a violent, but a salutary operation on
the child w^hom she loves. It is a weakness, it is
not a love worthy of an intelligent being, that in-
clines a magistrate to pardon a criminal, whose pre-
servation will be an injury to society, and the spar-
ing of whose life will occasion a thousand tragical
deaths.

The Compassion of God. 261

This kind of weakness, that confounds a mechan-
ical sensation with a rational and intellifrc nt love, is
the source of many of our misapprehensions about
the manner in which God loves us, and in which,
we imagine, he ought to love us. We cannot con-
ceive the consistency of God's love in making us
wise in a scliool of adversity, in exposing us to the
vicissitudes and misfortunes of life, and in frequent-
ly abandoning his children to pains and regrets. It
seems strange to us, that he should not be affected
at hearing the groans of the damned, whose tor-
ments can only be assuaged by uttering blasphem-
ies against him. Renounce these puerile ideas, and
entertain more just notions of the Supreme Being.
He hath no body ; he hath no organs that can be
shaken by the violence done to the organs of a mal-
efactor ; he hath no fibres that can be stretched to
form an unison with the fibres of your bodies, and
which must be agitated by their motions. liove, in
God, is in an intelligence, who sees what is, and
who loves what may justly be accounted, lovely ;
who judgeth by the nature of things, and not by
sensations, of which he is gloriously incapable : his
love is in perfect harmony with the spirituality/ of
his essence,

II. Our ideas of the goodness of God must agree
with our notions of the inconceivahleness of his na-
ture, I oppose this reflection to the difficulties that
have always been urged against the goodness of
God. There are two sorts of these objections ; one
tends to limit the goodness of God, the other to
carry it beyond its just bounds.

262 The Compassion of God.

If God be supremely good, say some, how is it
conceivable that he should suffer sin to enter the
world, and with sin, all the evils that necessarily
follow it ? This is one difficulty which tends to car-
ry the goodness of God beyond its just extent.

Is it conceivable, say others, that the great God,
that God, who according to the prophet, " weighed
the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance,"
Isa. xl. 12. that God, who "measured the waters in
the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with
a span," ver. 22. that God, who "sitteth upon the
circle of the earth, and considereth the inhabitants
thereof as grasshoppers :" is it conceivable, that he
should have such a love for those mean insects as the
gospel represents ; a love that inclined him to give
his own Son, and to expose him to the most igno-
minious of all punishments, to save them ? This is
an objection of the second class, which tends to limit
the goodness of God.

One answer may serve to obviate both these kinds
of objections. The love of God is in perfect har-
mony with the inconceivableness of his nature. All
his perfections are inconceivable, we can only fol-
low them to a certain point, beyond which it is im-
possible to discover their effects. " Canst thou by
searching find out God ?" Job xi. 7.

Canst thou by searching find out his eternity ?
Explain an eternal duration : teach us to compre-
hend an extent of existence so great, that when we
have added age to age, one million of years to an-
other million of years, if I may venture to speak so,
when we have heaped ages upon ages, millions of

The Compassion of God. 263

a<^es upon millions of a^es, we have not added one
day, one hour, one instant to the duration of God,
with whom " a thousand years are as one day, and
one day as a thousand years."

Canst thou by searching find out his knowledge ?
Explain to us the wisdom of an intelligence, who
comprehended plans of all possible worlds; who
compared them altogether ; who chose the best, not
only in preference to the bad, but to the less good ;
who knew all that could result from the various
modifications of matter, not only of the matter
which composeth our earth, but of the immense
matter, that composeth all bodies, which are either
in motion or at rest in the immensity of space, which
lie beyond the reach of our senses, or the stretch
of our imaginations, and of which, therefore, we
can form no ideas. Explain to us the wisdom of a
God, who knew all that could result from the vari-
ous modifications of spirits, not only of those hu-
man spirits, which have subsisted hitherto, or of
those which will subsist hereafter, in this world, but
of the thou?ands, of the " ten thousand times ten
thousands that stand before him," Dan. vii. 10.

Canst thou by searching find out his power ? Ex-
plain to us that self-eflficient power, which command-
eth a thing to be, and it is ; wliich commandeth it
not to be, and it ceaseth to exist.

The extent of God's mercy is no less impossible
to find out than the extent of his other attributes.
We are as incapable of determining concerning this,
as concerning any of his other perfections, that it
must needs extend hither, but not thither : that it

264 The Compassion of God.

oii??l]t to have prevented sin, but not to have given
Jesus Christ to die for the salvation of sinners. Our
not:on of the goodness of God should agree with
the inconceivableness of bis nature, and, provided
we have good proofs of v/hat we believe, we ought
not to stagger at the objections, which an insuffi-
cient, or rather, an insolent reason hath the audacity
to oppose to it.

III. Our notion of the goodness of God should
agree with the holiness of his designs, I mean, that
it would imply a contradiction to suppose that a
Being who is supremely holy, should have a close
communion of love with unholy creatures, consid-
ered as unholy and unconverted. By this principle
we exclude the dreadful consequences, that weak-
ness and wickedness have been used to infer from
the doctrine under our consideration. We oppose
this principle to the execrable reasoning of those
libertines, w^ho say, (and, alas ! how many people,
who adopt this way of reasoning, mix with the saints,
and pretend to be saints themselves !) " Let us con-
tinue in sin that grace may abound," Rom. vi. 1.
With the same principle the propliet guards the
text, " Like as a father pitieth his children, so doth
the Lord pity," whom ? Them, who establish their
crimes on the mercy of God ? God forbid ! " So
doth the Lord pity them that fear him." This truth
is so conformable to right reason, so often repeated
in the holy scriptures, and so frequently enforced
in this pulpit, that none but those who wilfully de-
ceive themselves can mistake the matter: and for
these reasons we dismiss this article.

The Compassion of God. 265

IV, The love of God is in perfect harmony with
ihe indqjendence of his principles. Interest is the
spring that moves, and very often the defect that de-
stroys, human friendships. It must be allowed, how-
ever, that though principles of interest may appear
low and mean, yet they often deserve pity more
than blame. It would be extremely difficult for a
debtor, if he w^ere oppressed by a merciless credi-
tor, to love any person more than him, who should
be both able and w illing to free him from the oppres-
sor's iron rod. It w ould be strange if a starving man
were not to have a more vehement love for him who
should relieve his necessities, than for any one else.
While our necessities continue as pressing as they
are in this valley of tears, principles of interest w ill
occupy the most of our thoughts, and w ill dkect
the best of our friendships. Disinterested love
seems to be incompatible with the state of indigent
creatures.

But God forbid that we should entertain similar
notions of the Deity ! God is supremely happy. His
love to his creatures is supremely disinterested. In-
deed, what interest can he have in loving us ? Were
this w^orld, which hath existed but a little while, to
cease to exist ; were all the beings upon earth, mate-
rial and immaterial, to return to then* non-entity ;
were God to remain alone, he would enjoy infinite
happiness ; in possessing himself he Avould possess
perfect felicity. " Every beast of the forest is his,
and the cattle upon a thousand hills," Ps. 1. 10. sa-
crificial flesh affords no nourishment to him ; clouds
of fragTant incense communicate no odours to him ;

VOL. I. 34

266 The Compassion of God.

he is not entertained with the harmony of the music
that is performed in his honour ; for our goodness ex-
tendeth not to him, Ps. xvi. 2. The praises of sera-
pbims can no more augment the splendor of his glory,
tlian the blasphemies of the damned can duuinish it.

y. The love of God to his creatures agrees with
the immtdahility of his will. There is but little re-
ality, and less permanency, in human love. The
names of steadiness, constancy, and equanimity, an
indelible image, an everlasting impression, a perpet-
ual idea, an endless attachment, an eternal friend-
ship, all these are only names, only empty, unmean-
ing sounds, when they are applied to those senti-
ments which the most faithful friends entertain for
each other.

I am not describing now those light and inconstant
people only, who are as ready to break as to form
connections : I am describing people of another, and
a better, disposition of mind. We are ignorant of
ourselves when we imagine ourselves capable of a
permanent attachment, and, when we think that we
shall always love, because we are assured that we
love at present, we are the first to deceive ourselves.
This man, who only at certain times discovers senti^
ments of tenderness, is not a hypocrite. That wo-
man Avas very sincere, when, weeping over a dying
husband, and in some sense more agonizing than he,
she just gathered strength enough to close the eyes
of her departing all, and protested that she should
never enjoy another moment, except that in which
the great Disposer of all events should appoint her
to follow her beloved partner to the grave : the wo-

The Compassion of God. 267

man expressed what she then felt, and what, she
thought, she should always feel : but, however, time
brought forward new objects, and other scenes have
calmed the violence of her passions, and have placed
her in that state of tranquility and submission to the
will of God, which all the maxims of religion had not
the power of producing.

People are not always to be blamed for the slight-
ness of tlieir friendships. Our levity constitutes, in
some sort, our felicity, and our imperfections apolo-
£jize for our inconstancy. Life would be one con-
tinned agony, if our friendships were always in the
same degree of activity. Rachel would be infi-
nitely miserable, if she were always thinking about
" her children, and would not be comforted because
they are not," Mat. ii. 18. I only mean to observe,
that a character of levity is essential to the friend-
ships of finite human minds.

God alone is capable, (O thou adorable Being,
who only canst have such noble sentiments, enable
us to express them !) God only, my dear brethren,
is capable of a love, real, solid, and permanent, free
from diversion and without interiaiption. What de-
lineations, what representations, what purposes, re-
volved in the infinite mind, before that appointed
period, in which he had determined to express him-
self in exterior Avorks, and to give existence to a
multitude of creatures? Yet throughout all these
countless ages, through all these unfathomable abys-
ses of eternity, (I know no literal terms to express
eternity) yet through all eternity he thought of us,
my dear brethren ; then he formed the plan of our

268 The Compassion of God.

Salvation ; then he appointed the victim that procur-
ed it ; then he laid up for us the felicity and glory
that we hope for ever to enjoy ! What care and ap-
plication are required to inspect, to order and ar-
range the numberless beino:s of the whole earth ? The
whole earth, did I say ? The whole earth is only an
inconsiderable point : but what care and application
are required to inspect, to order and arrange tlie
worlds which we discover revolving over our headvS
with other worlds, that we have a right to suppose
in the immensity of space ? Yet this application doth
not prevent his attention to thee, believer ; thy
health he guards, thy family he guides, thy fortune
and thy salvation he governs, as if each were the on-
ly object of his care, and as if thou wert alone in
the universe ! AYhat an immensity of happiness must
fill the intelligence of God, who is himself the source
of felicity ; of a God, who is surrounded with an-
gels, archangels, and happy spirits, serving him day
and night, continually attending round his throne,
and waiting to fly at a signal of his will ; of a God,
who directeth and disposeth all ; of a God, who ex-
isting with the Word, and the Holy Spirit, enjoys in
that union inconceivable and ineffable delights ; and
yet the enjoyment of his own happiness doth not at
all divert his attention from the happiness of his crea-
tures ! If a Said persecute his church, he is persecu-
ted with it. Acts ix. 4. and when profane hands touch
liis children, they touch the apple of his eye, Zech. ii.
8. In all her affliction he is afflicted, Isa. Ixiii. 9. lo I
he is with us always, even unto the end of the worlds
Matthew xxviii. 20.

The Compassion of God. 269

VI. The goodness of God must harmonize with
the efficiency/ of his will. The great defect of human
friendships is their inefficacy. The \mavailing emo-
tions that men feel for each other, their ineffectual
wishes for each other's happiness, we denominate
friendship. But suppose an union of every heart in
thy favour, suppose though without a precedent,
thyself the object of the love of all mankind, what
benefit couldst thou derive from all this love in some
cuTumstances of thy life? What relief from real
evils ? Ah ! my friends, ye are eager to assist me in
my dying agonies ; Alas ! my family, ye are distres-
sed to death to see me die ; ye love me, and I know
the tears that bathe you, flow from yom' hearts ; yes,
ye love me, but I must die !

None but the infinite God, my dear brethren,
none but the adorable God hath an efficient love.
If God be for us, who can be against us / Rom.
viii. 31. Let the ele iients be let loose against my
person and my life, let mankind, who differ about
every thing else, agree to torment me, let there be
a general conspiracy of nature and society against
my happiness, what doth it signify to me ? If God
love me, I shall be happy : with God to love and to
beatify is one and the same act of his self-efficient
will.

VII. But finally, the goodness of God must agree
with his veracity, I mean that although the many
scripture- images of the goodness of God are imper-
fect, and must not be literally understood, they must,
however, have a real sense and meanmg. Moreo-
ver, I affirm, that the grandeur of the original h

270 The Compassion of God,

not at all diminished, but on the contrary, that
our ideas of it are very much enlarged, by purifying
and retrenching the images that represent it ; and
this we are obliged to do on account of the eminence
of the divine perfections. And here my brethren, I
own I am involved in the most agreeable diffi-
culty that can be imagined, and my mind is absorb-
ed in an innumerable multitude of objects, each of
which verifieth the proposition in the text. I am
obliged to pass by a world of proofs and demonstra-
tions. Yes, I pass by the firmament with all its
stars, the earth with all its productions, the treasures
of the sea and the influences of the air, the symme-
try of the body, the charms of society, and many
other objects, which in the most elegant and pa-
thetic manner, preach the Creator's goodness to us.
Those grand objects which have excited the aston-
ishment of philosophers, and filled the inspired wri-
ters with wonder and praise, scarcely merit a mo-
ment's attention to-day. I stop at the principal idea
of the prophet. We have before observed, that the
term which is rendered pity in the text, is a vague
word, and is often put in scripture for the goodness
of God in general. However, we must acknowledge,
that it most properly signifies the disposition of a
good parent, who is inclined to shew mercy to his
son, when he is become sensible of his follies, and
endeavours by new effusions of love to re-establish
the communion that his disobedience had interrupt-
ed : this is certainly the principal idea of the pro-
phet.

The Compassion of God. 271

Now who can doubt, my brethren, whether God
possess the reality of this image in the most noble,
the most rich, and tlie most eminent sense? Wouldst
thou be convinced, sinner, of the truth of the decla-
ration in the text ? Wouldst thou know the extent
of the mercy of God to poor sinful men ? Consider
then, 1. The victim that he hath substituted in their
stead. 2. The patience which he exerciseth to-
wards them. 3. The crimes that he pardons. 4.
The familiar friendship to which he invites them.
And 5. The rewards that he bestows on them. Ah !
ye tender fathers, ye mothers who seem to be all
love for your children, ye whose eyes, whose hearts,
whose perpetual cares and affections are concenter-
ed in them, yield, yield to the love of God for his
children, and acknowledge that God only knows
how to love !

Let us remark, 1. The sacrifice that God hath
substituted in the sinner's stead. One of the live-
liest and most emphatical expressions of the love of
God, in my opinion, is that in the gospel of St.
John. God so loved the norld, that he gave his only
begotten Son, ch. iii. 16. Weigh these words, my
brethren, God so loved the world, that he gave his on-
ly begotten Son, Metaph} sic^il ideas begin to grow
into disrepute, and I am not surprized at it. Man-
kind have such imperfect notions of substances, they
know so little of the nature of spirits, particularly,
they are so entirely at a loss in reasoning on the In-
finite Spirit, that we need not be astonished if peo-
ple retire from the speculative track in which the
indiscretion of some hath made great mistakes.

272 The Compassion of God.

Behold a sure system of metaphysics. Convin*
ced of the imperfection of all my knowledge, but
particularly of my discoveries of the being and
perfections of God, I consult the sacred oracles,
which God hath published, in order to obtain right
notions of him. I immediately perceive that God,
in speaking of himself, hath proportioned his lan-
guage to the weakness of men, to whom he hath
addressed his word. In this view, J meet with no
difficulty in explaining those passages in which God
saith, that he hath hands or feet, eyes or heart, that
he goeth or cometh, ascendeth or descendeth, that
he is in some cases pleased, and in others provoked.

Yet methinks, it would be a strange abuse of this
notion of scripture, not to understand some con-
stant ideas literally ; ideas which the scriptures give
us of God, and on which the system of Christiani-
ty partly rests.

I perceive, and I think very clearly, that the
scriptures constantly speak of a being, a person, or,
if I may speak so, a portion of the divine essence,
w^hich is called the Father, and another that is cal-
led the Son.

I think, I perceive with equal evidence in the
same book, that between these two persons, the
Father and the Son, there is the closest and most
intimate union that can be imagined. What love
must there be between these two persons, who have
the same perfections and the same ideas, the same
purposes and the same plans ? What love must sub-
sist between two persons, whose union is not inter-
rupted by any calamity without, by any passion

The Compassion of God, 273

Tvitliin, or, to speak more fully still, by any ima-
gination ?

AYith equal clearness I perceive, that the man
Jesus, who was born at Bethlehem, and was laid in
a manger, was in the closest union with the Word,
that is, with the Son of God ; and that in virtue of
this union the man Jesus is more beloved of God
than all the other creatures of the universe.

No less clearly do I perceive in scripture, that
the man Jesus, who is as closely united to the eter-
nal Word, as the Word is to God, was delivered
for me, a vile creature, to the most ignominious
treatment, to sufferings the most painful, and the
most shameful, that were ever inflicted on the mean-
est and basest of mankind.

And when I enquire the cause of this great mys-
tery, when I ask, W^hy did the almighty God be-
stow so rich a present on me ? Especially when I
apply to revelation for an explication of this mys-
tery, which reason cannot fully explain, I can find
no other cause than the compassion of God.

liCt the schools take their way, let reason lose it-
self in speculations, yea, let faith find it difficult to
submit to a doctrine, which hath always appeared
with an awful solemnity to those who have thought
and meditated on it; for my part, I abide by this
clear and astonishing, but at the same time, this
kind and comfortable proposition, God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son. When
people shew us Jesus Christ in the garden, sweating
great drops of blood ; when they speak of his trial
before Caiaphas and Pilate, in which he was interro-

VOL. I. 35

274 The Compassion of God,

gated, insulted and scourged ; when they present hinfi
to our view upon mount Calvary, nailed to a cross,
and bowing beneath the blows of heaven and earth ;
when they require the reason of these formidable
and surprizing phoenom.ena, we will answer. It is be-
cause God loved mankind ; it is because God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,

2, The patience that God exerciseth toward sin-
ners, is our second remark. Here, my brethren, I
wish that as many of you as are interested in this
article would allow me to omit particulars, and would
recollect the histories of your own lives.

My life, says one, is consumed in perpetual indo-
lence. I am a stranger to the practice of private
devotion, and to speak the truth, I consider it only
as a fancy. I attend public worship, only because I
would conform to example and custom. I hear the
sermons of the ministers of the gospel as amusive
discourses, that treat of subjects in which I have no
interest. I take no part in the prayers that are ad-
dressed to God in behalf of the sick or the poor, the
church or the state.

I, saith a second, ever since I have been in the
world, have cherished one of the most shameful and
criminal passions ; sometimes I have been shocked
at its turpitude, and sometimes I have resolved to
free myself from it : in some of my sicknesses,
which I thought, would have ended in death, I de-
termined on a sincere conversion : sometimes a ser-
mon, or a pious book, hath brought me to self-ex-
amination, which hath ended in a promise of refor-
mation : sometimes the sight of the Lord's Supper,

The Compassion of God. 275

an institution properly adapted to display the sinful-
ness of sin, hath exhibited my sin in all its heinous-
ness, and hath bound me by oath to sacrifice my un-
worthy passion to God. But my corruption hath
been superior to all, and yet God hath borne with
me to this day.

A third must say, As for me I hare lived thirty
or forty years in a country where the public pro-
fession of religion is not prohibited, and I have pass-
ed all the time without a membership to any church,
without ordinances, without public worship, and
without the hope of a pastor to comfort me in my
dying illness; I have seduced my family by my
example ; I have consented to the settlement of my
children, and have suffered them to contract mar-
riages without the blessing of heaven ; my luke-
warmness hath caused first their indifference, and
last their apostacy, and will perhaps cause ....
and yet God hath borne with me to this day.

Why hath he borne with me ? It is not a conni-
vance at sin, for he hates and detests it. It is not
ignorance,, for he penetrates the inmost recesses of
my soul, nor hath a single act, no, not a single act,
of my rebellion, eluded the search of his all-piercing
eye. It is not a want of power to punish a crimi-
nal, for he holds the thunders in his mighty hands,
at his command hell opens, and the fallen angels
wait only for his permission to seize their prey.
Why then do I yet subsist ? Why do I see the light
of this day ? Why are the doors of this church once
more open to me ? It is because he commiserates

276 T^he Compassion of God,

poor sinners. It is because he pitieth me as a fa-
ther pitieth his children,

3. Let us remark the crimes which God pardon-
eth. There is no sin excepted, no, not one, in the
list of those which God hath promised to forgive to
true penitents. He pardoneth not only the sins of
those whom he hath not called into his visible church,
who, not having been indulged with this kind of
benefits, have not had it in their power to carry in-
gratitude to its height : but he pardoneth also crimes
committed under such dispensations as seem to ren-
der sin least pardonable. He pardoneth sins com-
mitted under the dispensation of the law, as he for-
giveth those which are committed under the dis-
pensation of nature ; and those that are committed
under the dispensation of the gospel, as those which
are committed under the law. He forgiveth, not
only such sins as have been committed through igno-
norance, infirmity, and inadvertency, but such also
as have been committed deliberately, and obstinate-
ly. He not only forgiveth the sins of a day, a week,
or a month, but he forgiveth also the sins of a great
number of years, those which have been formed in-
to an inveterate habit, and have grown old with the
sinner. Though your sins he as scarlet, they shall he
as white as snow ; though they he red like crimson^
they shall he as wool, Isa. i. 18.

But what am I saying ? It is not enough to say
that God forgiveth sins, he unites himself to those
who have committed them by the most tender and
affectionate ties.

4. Our next article therefore regards the familiar

The Compassion of God. 211

friendship to wliich God invites us. Wiiat intimate,
close, and afreetionate relation canst thou imagine,
which God is not willing to form with thee in reli-
gion ? x\rt thou affected with the vigilance of a shep-
herd, who watcheth over, and sacrificeth all his care,
and even his life for his flock? This relation God
will have with thee : " The Lord is my sheplierd, I
shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures : he leadeth me beside the still waters," Psa.
xxiii. 1, 2. Alt thou aff*ected with the confidence
of a friend, who openeth his heart to his friend, and
communicates to him his most secret thoughts, divi-
ding with him all his pleasures and all his pains ? God
will have this relation with thee : " The secret of
the Lord is with them that fear him," Psa. xxv. 14.
" Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ?"
Gen. xviii. 17. "I call you not servants ; for the ser-
vant knoweth not what his Lord doeth : but I have
called you friends ; for all things that I have heard
of my Father, I have made known unto you," John
XV. 15. Art thou touched with the tenderness of a
mother, whose highest earthly happiness is to suckle
the son of her womb ? God will have this relation
with thee : " Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should not have compassion on the son of
her womb ? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not
forget thee," Isa. xlix. 15.

Hast thou some good reasons for disgust with
human connections ? Are thy views so liberal and
delicate as to afford thee a conviction that there is
no such thing as real friendship among men ? And
tliat what are called connections, friendships, affec-

278 The Compassion of God,

tions, unions, tendernesses, are generally no other
than interchanges of deceit disguised under agreea-
ble names ? Are thy feelings so refined that thou
sighest after connections formed on a nobler plan ?
God will have such connections with thee. Yes,
there is, in the plan of religion, an union formed be-
tween God and us, on the plan of that w^hich sub-
sists between the three persons in the godhead, the
object of our worship : that is, as far as a similar un-
ion between God and us can subsist without contra-
diction. God grants this to the intercession of his
Son, in virtue of that perfect obedience which he
rendered to his Father on the cross. This Jesus
Christ requested for us, on the eve of that day, in
which, by his ever-memorable sacrifice, he reconcil-
ed heaven and earth : " I pray not for the world,
but for them which thou hast given me, for they are
thine," John xvii. 9. "Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word : that they all may be one, as
thou. Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they al-
so may be one in us," ver. 20. 21. Do not enquire
the possibility of this union, how w^e can be one
Avith God and with Jesus Christ, as Jesus Christ and
God are one. Our hearts, as defective in the pow-
er of feeling as our minds in that of reasoning, have
no facuhies, at present, for the knowedge of such
things as can be known only by feeling. But the
time will come when both sense and intelligence
will be expanded, and then we shall know, by a
happy experience, what it is to be one w ith God and
with Jesus Christ.

The Compassion of God, 279

This leads us to our 5th and last article, That is,
the felicity that God reserveth for his cliildren in
another world. A re-union of all the felicities of
this present world would not be sufficient to express
the love of God to us. Nature is too indigent : our
faculties are too indigent : society is too indigent :
religion itself is too indigent.

Nature is too indigent : it might indeed afford us
a temperate air, an earth enamelled with flowers,
trees laden with fruits, and climates rich with de-
lights : but all its present beauties are inadequate to
the love of God, and there must be another world,
another oeconomy, " new heavens and a new earth,"
Isa. Ixv. 17.

Our faculties are too indigent ; they might indeed
admit abundant pleasures, for we are capable
of knowing, and God could gratify our desire of
knowledge. We are capable of agreeable sensa-
tions, and God is able to give us objects proportion-
al to our sensations ; and so of the rest. But all
these gratifications would be too little to express
the love of. God to us. Our faculties must be re-
newed, and in some sense, new cast ; for this corrup-
tible body must put on incorruption ; this natural bo-
dy must become a spiritual body, 1 Cor. xv. 53. 44.
so that by means of more delicate organs we may
enjoy more exquisite pleasures. Our souls must be
united to glorified bodies, by laws different from
those which now unite us to matter, in order to ca-
pacitate us for more extensive knowledge.

Society is too indigent, although society miglit
become an ocean of pleasure to us. There are men

280 The Compassion of God,

whose friendships are full of charms ; their conver-
sations are edifying and their acquaintance delight-
ful ; and God is able to place us among such amia-
ble characters in this world : but society hath no-
thing great enough to express the love of God to us.
We must be introduced to the society of glorified
saints, and to thousands of angels and happy spirits,
who are capable of more magnanimity and delicacy
than all that we can imagine here.

Religion itself is too indigent, although it might
open to us a source of delight. What pleasure hath
religion afforded us on those happy days of our
lives, in which, having fled from the crowd, and
suspended our love to the world, we meditated on
the grand truths which God hath revealed to us in his
word ; when we ascended to God by fervent prayer ;
or renewed at the Lord's table our commimion with
him ! How often have holy men been enraptured in
these exercises ! How often have they exclaimed du-
ring these foretastes, Our souls are " satisfied as with
marrow and fatness," Psa. Ixiii. 5. " O how great is
thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that
fear thee," xxxi. 19. A¥e are " abundantly satisfied
with the fatness of thy house : w^e drink of the river
of thy pleasures," ch. xxxvi. 8. Yet even religion
can afford nothuig here belo^v than can sufficiently
express the love of God to us. We must be admit-
ted into that state, in which there is neither temple nor
sun, because God supplieth the place of both. Rev.
xxi. 22, 23. We are to behold God, not surroun-
ded with such a handful of people as this, but with
ihousand thonsandSj and ten thousand times ten thou-

The Compassion of God, 28i

stind, Dan. vii. 10. who stand continually before him*
We must see God, not in the displays of his grace
in our churches, but in all the magnificence of his
glory in heaven. We are to prostrate ourselves be-
fore him, not at the Lord's table, where he is made
known to us in the symbols of bread and wine : (au-
gust symbols indeed : but two gross to exhibit the gran-
deur of God) but we are to behold him upon his
throne of glory, w orshipped by all the happy host of
heaven. What cause produceth those noble effects I
From what source do those rivers of pleasure flow 1
Ps. xxxiv. 8. It is love which lays up all this good-
Qiess for us, Ps. xxxi. 19. "I drew them with cords
of a man, with bands of love," Hos. xi. 4.

Let us meditate on the love of God, who, being
supremely happy himself, communicateth perfect
happiness to us. Supreme happiness doth not make
God forget us ; shall the miserable comforts of this
life make us forget him? Our attachments to this
life are so strong, the acquaintances that we have
contracted in this world so many, and the relations
that we bear so tender ; we are, in a word, so habit-
uated to live, that we need not wonder if it cost us
a good deal to be willing to die. But this attach-
ment to life, which, when it proceeds only to a cer-
tain degree, is a sinless infinnity, becomes one of
the most criminal dispositions when it exceeds its
just limits. It is not right that the objects of divine
love should lose sight of theu' chief good, in a world
where, after then- best endeavours, there will be too
many obstacles between them and God. It is not
j-ight that rational creatures, who have heard of the

VOL. I. 36

282 The Compassion of God.

pure, extensive, and munificent love of God to them,
should be destitute of the most ardent desires of a
closer union to him than any that can be attained in
this life. One single moment's delay should give us
pain, and if we wish to live it should be only to pre-
pare to die. We ought to desire life only to mortify
sin, to practise and to perfect virtue, to avail our-
selves of opportunities of knowing ourselves better,
and of obtaining stronger assmances of our salva-
tion. No, I can never persuade myself that a man,
who is wise in the truths of wliich we have been dis-
coursing, a man, in whom the love of God hath been
" shed abroad by the Holy Ghost given unto him,"
Rom. V. 5. a man, who thinks himself an object of
the love of the great Supreme, and who knows that
the great Supreme will not render him perfectly hap-
py in this life, but in the next, can afford much time
for the amusements of this. I can never persuade
myself that a man, who hath such elevated notions,
and such magnificent prospects, can make a very se-
rious affair of having a great name in this world, of
lodging in a palace, or of descending from an illus-
trious ancestry. These little passions, if we consider
them in themselves, may seem almost indifferent,
and I giant, if ye will, that they are not always at-
tended with very bad consequences, that, in some
cases, they injure nobody, and, in many, cause no
trouble in society : but, if we consider the principle
from which they proceed, they will appear very mor-
tifying to us. AVe shall find that the zeal and fer-
vor, the impatient breathings of some, " to depail,
and to be with Christ," Phil. i. 23. the aspiiing of a

The Compassion of God. 283

soul after the chief good ; the prayer, " Come, Lord
Jesus, come quickly," Rev. xxii. 20. the eager wish,
" When shall I come and appear before God," Ps.
xlii. 2. We shall find that these dispositions, which
some of us treat as enthusiasm, and which others of
us refer to saints of the first order, to whose perfec-
tions we have not the presumption to aspire ; we shall
find, I say, that these dispositions are more essential
to Clu'istianity than we may have liitherto imagined.

May God make us truly sensible to that noble and
tender love which God hath for us ! May God kin-
dle cur love at the fire of his own? May God enable
us to know religion by such pleasures as they expe-
rience who make love to God the foundation of all
vktue ! These are our petitions to God for you : to
these may each of us say. Amen !

SERMON VIII.

The Incomprehensibility of the Mercy of GotL

Isaiah Iv. 8, 9.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my rvays, saith the Lord. For as th^
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts.

\jO, " these are parts of his ways, but how little a
portion is heard of hiin !" Job xxvi. 14. This is one
of the most sententious sayings of Job, and it ex-
presseth, in a very lively and emphatical manner^
tlie works of God. Such language would produce
but very little effect indeed in the mouth of a care-
less unthinking man : but Job, who uttered it, had a
mind filled with the noblest ideas of the perfections
of God. He had studied them in his prosperity, in
order to enable him to render homage to God, from
whom alone his prosperity came. His heart was
conversant with them under his distressing adversi-
ties, and of them he had learnt to bow to the hand
of him who was no less the author of adversity than
of prosperity, of darkness than of day. All this ap-
pears by the fine description which the holy man
gives immediately before : " God/' saith he, " stretch-

286 The Incomprehensihilily

eth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth
the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up his waters
in his thick clouds ; and the cloud is not rent under
them. He hath compassed the waters with bounds.
The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at
his reproof. He divideth the sea with his power, and
by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens." But
are these the only productions of the Creator ? Have
these emanations wholly exhausted his power ? No,
replieth Job, " These are only parts of his ways, and
how little a portion is heard of him !"

My brethren, what this holy man said of the won-
ders of nature, we, with much more reason, say to
you of the wonders of grace. Collect all that pagan
philosophers have taught you of the goodness of the
Supreme Being. To the opinions of philosophers
join the declarations of the prophets. To the decla-
rations of the prophets, and to the opinions of phi-
losophers, add the discoveries of the evangelists and
apostles. Compose one body of doctrine of all that
various authors have written on this comfortable sub-
ject. To the whole join your own experience ; your
ideas to their ideas, your meditations to their medi-
tations, and then believe that ye are only floating on
the surface of the goodness of God, that his love
hath dimensions, a breadth, and length, and depth,
and height, Eph. iii. 18. which the human mind can
never attain : and, upon the brink of this ocean, say,
" Lo, these are only parts of his ways, and how lit-
tle a portion is heard of him !"

of the Mercy of God. 287

This Incomprehensibility of the fijoodness of God,
(and what attention, what sensibility, what gratitude
have we not a right to expect of you !) This incon-
ceivableness of the goodness of God we intend to
discuss to-day. The prophet, or rather, God him-
self, saith to us by the prophet, " My thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways :
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts."

Three things are necessary to explain the text.

I. The meaning must be restrained.

II. The object must be determined.

III. The proofs must be produced. And this is
the whole plan of my discourse.

I. The words of my text must be restrained.
Strictly speaking, it cannot be said, that God's
thoughts are not our thoughts, and that his rvays are
not our ways : on the contrary, it is certain, that
in many respects, God's ways are our ways, and his
thoughts are our thoughts. I mean, that there are
many cases, in which we may assure ourselves that
God thinks so and so, and will observe such or such
a conduct. The doctrine of the incomprehensibili-
ty of God is one of those doctrines which w^e ought
to defend with the greatest zeal, because it hath a
mighty influence in religion and morality : but it
would become a subversion of both, were it to be
carried beyond its just bounds. Libertines have
made fewer proselytes by denying the existence of
God than by abusing the doctrine of his inconceiva-
bleness. It makes but little impression on a ration-

258 The IncomprehensihiKty

al man, to be told, that matter is eternal ; that it ar-
ranged itself in its present order ; that chance spread
the firmament, formed the heavenly orbs, fixed the
earth on its basis, and wrought all the wonders in
the material world. It makes but little impres-
sion on a rational man, to be informed, that the in-
telligent world is to be attributed to the same cause
to which libertines attribute the material world ;
that chance formed spirit as well as matter, gave it
the power, not only of reflecting on its own essence,
but also of going out of itself, of transporting itself
into the past ages of eternity, of rising into the hea-
vens by its meditation, of pervading the earth, and
investigating its darkest recesses. All these extrav-
agant propositions refute themselves, and hardly find
one partisan in such an enlightened age as this, in
which we have the happiness to live.

There are other means more likely to subvert the
faith. To give grand ideas of the Supreme Being ;
to plunge, if I may be allowed to say so, the little
mind of man into the ocean of the divine perfections ;
to contrast the supreme grandeur of the Creator
with the insignificance of the creature; to persuade
mankind that the great Supreme is too lofty to con-
cern himself with us, that our conduct is entirely
indifferent to him; that it signifies nothing to him
whether we be just or unjust, humane or cruel, hap-
py or miserable : To say in these senses, that God's
ways are not our rvays, that his thoughts are not our
thoughts, these are the arms that infidelity hath
sometimes employed Avith success, and against the
attacks of which we would guard you. For these

of the Mercy of God. 289

reasons, I said, that the meaning of the text must be
restrained, or that it would totally subvert religion
and morality.

We have seldom met with a proposition more ex-
travagant than that of a certain bishop,^ who, hav-
ing spent his life in defending the gospel, endeav-
oured at his death to subvert it. This man, in a
book entitled, The Imperfection of the Human Mind,
and which is itself an example of the utmost degree
of the extravagance of the human mind, maintains
this proposition, and makes it the ground of all his
scepticism : that before we affirm any thing of a
subject we must perfectly understand it. From
hence he concludes, that we can affirm nothing
of any subject, because we do not perfectly un-
derstand any. And from hence it naturally fol-
lows, that of the Supreme Being we have the least
pretence to affirm any thing, because we have a less
perfect knowledge of him than of any other subject.
W hat absurd reasoning ! it is needless to refute it
here, and it shall suffice at present to observe in
general, that the ignorance of one part of a subject
doth not hinder the knowing of other parts of it, nor
ought it to hinder our affirmation of what we do

* Peter Daniel Huet, bishop of Avranches, a countryman of
our author's. He was a man of uncommon learning, and, in jus-
tice to Christianity, as well as to his lordship, it ought to be re-
membered, that he wrote his demonstratio evangelica in the vig-
our of his life ; but his traite fihilosofihique de la foiblesse de l*es'_
prit humaine^ of which Mons. Saurin complains, was written more
than forty years after, when he was ninety years of age, and was
superannuated. Father Castell, the Jesuit, denies that it was
written by Huet at all.

VOL. I. 37

290 The Incomprehensibility

know. I do not perfectly understand the nature of
liffht; however I do know that it differs from dark-
ness, and that it is the medium by which objects be-
come visible to me. And the same may be affirmed
of other subjects.

In like manner, the exercise of my reasoning pow-
ers, produceth in me some incontestible notions of
God, and, from these notions, immediately follow
some sure consequences, which become the im-
moveable basis of my faith in his word, of my
submission to his will, and of my confidence in his
promises. These notions, and these consequences,
compose the body of natural religion. There is a
self-existent Being. The existence of all creatures
is derived from the self-existent Being, and he is
the only source of all their perfections. That Be-
ing, who is the source of the perfections of all other
beings, is more powerful than the most powerful
monarchs, because the most powerful monarchs de-
rive only a finite power from him. He is wiser than
the most consummate politicians, because the most
consummate politicians derive only a finite wisdom
from him. His knowledge exceeds that of the
most knowing philosophers, or of the most trans-
cendent geniusses, because the most transcendent
geniusses and the most knowing philosophers derive
only a finite knowledge from him. And the same
may be said of others. There are then some incon-
testible notions, which reason gives us of God.

From these notions follow some sure and neces-
sary consequences. If all creatures derive their be-
ing and preservation from him, I owe to him all that

of the Mercy of God. 291

I am, and all that I have, he is the sole object of my
desires and hopes, and I am necessarily engaged to
be grateful for his favours, and entirely submissive
to his will. If creature-perfections be only emana-
tions from him, the source of all perfections, I ought
to have nobler sentiments of his perfections, than of
those of creatures, how elevated soever the latter
may be. I ought to fear him more than I ought to
fear the mightiest king, because the power of the
mightiest king is only an emanation from him. I ought
to commit myself to his duection, and to trust more
to his wisdom than to that of the wisest politician,
because the prudence of the wisest politician is only
an emanation from him : And so of the rest. Let it be
granted, that God is, in many respects, quite incom-
prehensible, that we can attain only a small degree
of knowledge of this infinite object, or, to use the
words of our text, that his thoughts are not our
thoughts, nor his ways our ways : yet it will not fol-
low, that the notions, which reason gives us of him,
are less just, or, that the consequences, which imme^
diately foUoAv these notions, are less sure ; or, that
all the objections, which libertines and sceptics pre-
tend to derive from the doctrine of the incomprehen-
sibility of God, against natural religion, do not eva-
porate and disappear.

If reason affords us some adequate notions of
God, if some necessary consequences follow these
notions ; for a much stronger reason, we may derive
some adequate notions of God, and some sure con-
sequences, from revelation. It is a very extrava-
gant and sophistical way of reasoning to allege the

292 The Incomprehensibility

darkness of revelation upon this subject, in order
to obsure the light that it doth afford us. These
words, my thoughts are not your thoughts^ neither art
my ways your waysy do not mean, then, that we
can know nothing of the divine essence ; that we can-
not certainly discover in what cases he will approve
of our conduct, and in what cases he will condemn
it : they only mean, that finite minds cannot form
complete ideas of God, know the whole sphere of
his attributes, or certainly foresee all the effects that
they can produce. Thus we have endeavoured to
restrain the words of the text.

II. We are to determine their object. The pro-
phet's expressions would have been true, had they
been applied to all the attributes of God : however,
they are applied here only to one of them, that is,
to his goodness. The connection of the text with
tlie preceding verses proves this. " Seek ye the
Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while
he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts : and let him retm-n
unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon," ver.
6, 7. The text immediately follows : " For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the Lord." It is clear, I think,
that the last words, " my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," directly
relate to the preceding clause, " the Lord will have
mercy upon him, and our God will abundantly par-
don." AVherein do the thoughts of God differ from
om's ? In this sense they differ : In God there are

of the Mercy of God. 293

treasures of mercy, the depth of which no finite
mind can fathom. In him goodness is as inconceiv-
able as all his other attributes. In God, a sinner,
who seems to have carried his sin to its utmost ex-
travagance, and to have exhausted all the treasures
of divine grace, shall still find, if he return unto the
Lord, and cast himself at the foot of him, who abun-
dantly pardoneth, a goodness, a compassion, a love
that he could not have imagined to find.

When we speak of the goodness of God, we mean,
not only that perfection which inclines him to com-
municate natural benefits to all creatures, and which
hath occasioned the inspired writers to say, that All
creatures wait upon him, that he may give them their
meat in due season, Psa. civ. 27. that he left not him-
self without witness in doing good, Acts xiv. 17. But
we mean, m a more especial manner, the grace of
the gospel, of which the prophet speaks in the be-
ginning of the chapter ; " Ho, every one that thirst-
eth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no
money, come ye buy and eat ; yea, come buy wine
and milk v»ithout money, and without price. In-
cline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and your
soul shall live : and I will make an everlasting cov-
enant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Behold I have given him for a witness to the peo-
ple, a leader and commander to the people," ver.
1, 3, 4. Who is this leader whom God gave to be a
witness to the people, that is, to manifest his attributes
to the Gentiles ? What is this everlasting covenant?
W^hat are these sure mercies of David ! Two sorts
of authors deserve to be heard on this article, though

294 The Incofnprehensihility

on different accounts, the first for their ignorance
and prejudice, the last for their knowledge and im-
partiality. The first are the Jews, who in spite of
their obstinate blindness, cannot help owning that
these words promise the advent of the Messiah.
Rabbi David Kimchi gives this exposition of the
words : " The sure mercies of David, that is the
Messiah, whom Ezekiel calls David. They shall
dw^ll in the land that I have given them, tliey, and
their children, and their children's children for
ever ; and my sei^ant David shall be their prince
for ever," Ezek. xxxvii. 25. 1 purposely pass by
many similar passages of other Jev>^ish Rabbies.
The other authors whom we ouo^ht to hear for their
impartial knowledge, are the inspired writers, and
particularly St. Paul, whose comment on this pas-
sage, which he gave at Antioch in Pisidia, deter-
mines its meaning. There the apostle, having at-
tested the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
affirms that the prophets had foretold that event;
and among other passages, which he alleged in
proof of what he had advanced, quotes this, " I will
give you the sure mercies of David," Acts xiii. 34.
From all which it follows, that the object of our text
is the goodness of God, and in an especial manner,
the love that he hath manifested unto us in the gos-
pel : and this is what we undertook to prove.

Such vicAvs of the grandeur of God are sublime
and delightful. The divine perfections are the most
sublime objects of meditation. It is glorious to sur-
mount the little circle of objects that surround us,
to revolve in a contemplation of God, in whose in-

of the Mercij of God. 295

finite perfections intelligent beings will for ever find
matter sufficient to employ all their intelligence.
Behold the inspired writers, they were fond of los-
ing their capacities in this lovely prospect. Some-
times they stood on the borders of the eternity of
God, and viewing that boundless ocean, exclaimed,
" Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever
thou hadst formed the earth and the world: even
from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. A thou-
sand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when
it is past, and as a watch in the night," Psa. xc. 2,
4. Sometimes they meditated on his power, and
contemplating the number and variety of his works,
exclaimed, " O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is
thy name in all the earth ! who hast set thy glory
above the heavens. When w^e consider thy hea-
vens, the work of thy fingers : the moon and the
stars which thou hast ordained ; What is man, that
thou art mindful of him ? and the Son of man, that
thou visitest him ?" Psa. viii. 1, 3, 4. Sometimes
theii' attention was fixed on the immensity of God,
and contemplating it, they exclaimed, " Whither
shall we go from thy spirit ? or whither shall w^e flee
from thy presence ? If w^e ascend up into heaven,
thou art there, if we make our bed in hell, behold
thou art there : If we take the wings of the morn-
ing, and dwell in the utmost parts of the sea ; even
there shall thy hand lead us, and thy right hand
shall hold us," Psal. cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10, But, how-
ever agreeable these objects of meditation may be,
there is something mortifying and distressing in
them. The more we discover the grandeur of the

296 The Incomprehensibility

Supreme Being, the greater distance we perceive
between ourselves and him. We perceive him in-
deed: but it is as an inhabitant of "light which no
man can approach unto," 1 Tim. iv. 16. and from
all our efforts to know him we derive this reflec-
tion of the prophet, " Such knowledge is too won-
derful for me : it is high ; I cannot attain unto it,"
Psa. cxxxix. 6.

But the meditation of the goodness of God is as
full of consolation as it is of sublimity. This ocean
of the Deity is an ocean of love. These dimensions
that surpass your knowledge, are dimensions of love.
These distances, a part only of which are visible to
you, are depths of mercy, and those words which
God hath addressed to you, " my thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"
are equal to these : As far as heaven is above the
earth; or more fully, as far as ye finite creatures
are inferior to me the infinite God, so far are your
ideas of my compassion and love to you inferior to
my pity and esteem for you : Try : " Let the wick-
ed forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts ;" let not the multitude, or the enormity
of his crimes terrify him into a despair of obtaining
the pardon of them : " Let him return unto the
Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to
our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways high-
er than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts." Having thus determined the object,

of the Mercy of God, 297

and restrained the meaning of tlie text, we shall pro-
ceed to adduce the proofs.

III. The prophet addresseth himself to two sorts
of people; first, to the heathens, who knew no more
of the goodness of God than what they had discov-
ered by the glimmering light of nature : next, to
some Jews, or to some Cluistinns, who, indeed
knew it by the light of revelation, but who had not
so high a notion of it as to believe it sufficient to
pardon all their sins. To both he saith on the part
of God; " My thoughts are not your thoughts, nei-
ther are your ways my ways." " My thoughts are
not your thoughts," ye Gentile philosophers. Ye
know^ my goodness only by your speculations on
the nature of the Supreme Being : but all that ye
discover in this way, is nothing in comparison of
what the Messiah will teach you in the gospel.
" My thoughts are not your thoughts," ye timorous
consciences, ye gloomy and melancholy minds. Be-
hold, I yet open to you treasures of mercy, which
ye thought ye had exhausted : " My thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways :
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts."

First, The prophet addresseth heathens, who had
no other knowledge of God than a few specula-
tions on the nature of the First Being; and who
were never able to discover three mysteries of di-
vine love.

1. The mean by which God conciliated his justice
with his love.

VOL. I. 38

298 The Incomprehens^ibilUy

2. His patience with those who abuse this mean.

3. His intimate union with those who fall in with
the design of his patience.

1. The first mystery of love, wliich the wisest pa-
gan philosophers could never discover, is the mean
that God hath chosen to conciliate his justice with
his love.

Let us carefully avoid the forming of mean no-
tions of God ; let us not imagine that the attributes
of God clash : No, God is perfectly consistent with
himself, and his attributes mutually support each
other. When we say that the love of God resisted
his justice, we mean that, according to our way of
thinking, there were some inconveniences in deter-
mininfc the fate of mankind after the entrance of sin.
In effect, what must become of this race of rebels ?
Shall God execute that sentence on them, which he
hath pronounced against sin ? But chains of dark-
ness, a lake burning with fire and brimstone, weep-
ing and wailing through an endless eternity, excite
the compassion of a merciful God : Shall he then al-
low these unworthy creatures to live under his pro-
lection ? Shall so many idle words, so many crimi-
nal thoughts, so many iniquitous actions, so much
blasphemy, so many extortions, the shedding of so
much innocent blood, shall all these go unpunish-
ed ? But, were these allowed, his love of order and
his veracity would be blemished. These are diffi-
culties which all the universe could not solve. This
is the book, of which St. John speaks in his Revela-
tion, the book scaled with seven seals ; I wept miichy
saith St. John, because no man was found ivorthy to

o/ the Mercy of God. 299

open and to read the book : hut rvorthy is the Iamb to
take the book, and to open the seeds, Rev. v. 4, 9.

From the depth of divine mercy proceeds a plan
for the solution of all these difficulties. The son of
God clothes himself with mortal flesh. He saith,
from his infancy, In sacrifices for sin thou hast no
pleasure ! Heb. x. 6. No, neither burnt-offerings nor
thousands of rams ; neither altars overflowing witii
blood, nor ten thousands of rivers of oil ; neitlier the
Jirst born for the transgression, nor all the fruit of
the body for the sin of the soul : (IMicah vi. 6, 7.) no,
none of these is an offering wortliy of being pre-
sented to thy justice: Lo, I come to do thy will, O
God : (Heb. x. 7.) J^o, I come to do that will which
requires the punishment of sin and the salvation of
the sinner. Lo, I come to be led as a lamb to the
slaughter, and to be dumb as a sheep before her shearers,
Lo, I am coming to suffer the a ery men for whose
salvation I come, to treat me as a malefactor ; yea,
moreover, I am coming to suffer the hidings of that
adorable face, which hath always hitherto afforded
me di fulness of joy, Psal. xvi. 11. I am coming to
suffer a suspension of that love, which is all my de-
light, and to cry under excessive sorrows, My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ! JMat, xxvii. 46.
VYe must necessarily sink under the Aveight of this
subject, my brethren, and we must be content to see
only par/5 of the ways of love. We must determine
only to take a slight survey of the breadth and length,
and depth and height of the love of God, we must own
that it passeth knowledge, Eph. iii. 18, 19. and that
these are things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard.

300 The IncompreJiensihiliiy

neither have entered into the heart of man, I Cor. ii. 9v
We must confess that if we were not able to oive
this general answer to the objections that are made
against the mysteries of religion, that is, that the
attributes of God are infinite, and that it doth not
belong to such finite minds as ours to limit the in-
finite God, we should be overwhelmed with the dif-
ficulties to which the marvels of redemption are li-
able to be exposed. Let us rejoice in the prospect
of that happy period, in which our faculties will be
expanded, and in which we shall make a more rapid
progress in the study of the love of God. In the
present period of infirmities let us be content with
the solution in our text ; " My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the
Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts."

2. But in what manner have these miserable sin-
ners, (and this will explain the second mystery of
love, which reason could never have discovered)
in what manner have these miserable sinners, whom
the justice of God condemns to eternal torments,
received the declaration of their pardon? With
what eyes have they considered the miracle of an
incarnate God? How have they regarded that al-
tar, on which such a noble victim was sacrificed for
thek salvation? Have thek eyes been fountains of
tears, to lament the crimes that brought down such
a deluge of punishments upon the head of the Re-
deemer of mankind? Have they received the Re-
deemer with such tenderness and gratitude as the

of the Mercy of God. 301

wonders of his love requked ? No : The unbeliev-
ing synagogue, the Jews, or, to pass the Jews,
Christians, we, my brethren, who profess to be-
lieve the mystery of the cross : we, wlio every day
say, We believe in Jesus Chfisty who ivas horn of the
virgin Mary, who was crucified, dead, and buried, ^ve
can hear of tliose great mysteries with indifference ;
we can persist in the very sins that brought our
Redeemer to the cross ; we can refuse to give up
a few inches of earth, a small sum of money, the
playing of an idle game, or the gratifying of an ab-
surd passion, to him who sacrificed for us his per-
son and his life ; we can " do despite unto the Spir-
it of grace, and count the blood of the covenant
an unholy thing," Heb. x. 9. God is witness of all
these things ; God holds the thunders in his migh-
ty hands ; wars and plagues, and earthquakes, wait
only for the first signal of his will to avenge those
numerous indignities : Yet God, who beholds those
indignities, bears with them. This man, saith the
love of God, is precipitated by the heat and vigour
of youth, perhaps he may reflect when he arrives
at the tranquillity of mature age ; he shall be spar-
ed then till he arrives at maturity : or, perhaps he
may recollect himself in the coolness of old age,
he shall be spared then till the grave coolness of old
age comes. That man hath been a rebel in his
health, perhaps he may submit when he is sick;
be shall be spared till sickness comes ; and he shall
be sought, exhorted, conjured ; I will say to him,
" O that thou hadst hearkened unto me !" Psal. Ixxxi.
13. " Be thou instructed, lest my soul depart from

502 The IncomprehensibilUi/

thee !" Jer. vi. 8. " O thou who killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how of-
ten would I have gathered thee, even as a hen gath-
ereth her chic kens under her wings, and thou would-
est not !" Mai. xxiii. 37. And it is the great God,
who speaks in this manner to his ungrateful crea-
ture, who is insensible to such tender language !

3. The third mystery of love, which the wisest
philosophers could never have discovered, is the un-
ion that God forms with man in religion. What
tender relation canst thou imagine, which God hath
not determined to form with thee in religion ? Art
thou sensible to the vigilance of a shepherd ? " The
Lord is thy shepherd, thou shalt not want," Psa.
xxiii. 1. Art thou sensible to the confidence of a
friend ? " I call thee not a servant, but a friend ?"
John XV. 15. Art thou sensible to the tenderness
of a parent ? " Behold what manner of love the fa-
ther hath bestowed upon thee, that thou shouldest
be called a son of God !" 1 John iii. 1. I should
allege many other images of the love of God to be-
lievers, if I could flatter myself, that the imagina-
tions of my hearers would be as pure as those of the
sacred authors who have described them.

Art thou disgusted with human connections? Are
thine ideas of friendship so refined that they render
thee superior to human unions, and make thee wish
for a friendship formed on a nobler plan ? God hath
determined that thou shalt be united to him as Jesus
Christ and he are united: an union at present incon-
ceivable, but which we shall happily experience in
the enlarged sphere of an immortal life, John xvii.

ef the Mercy of God. 303

20, 21. Let us acknowledge then, that all the pene-
tration of the wisest philosophers could never have
discovered the extent of the love of God in the dis-
pensation of the gospel. " My thoughts are not
yourthouglits, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my ways higl^er than your ways, and
my thoughts than your thoughts."

Secondly, Let us address the text to the gloomy
mind of a melancholy person, who, having failed in
the courage necessary to resist temptations, fails
again in that which is necessary to bear the thought
of having fallen into them. But, before we oppose
or describe this weakness, let us grant that there is
something in it which deserves respect. The great-
est part of those who treat it as an extravagance,
seem to me far more extravagant than those who
fall into it. Yes, the utmost excess of grief that
can be occasioned by the remembrance of sin, seems
to me incomparably less blameable than the exces-
sive tranquillity of some other people's minds. Who
(think ye ?) is most extravagant, he wiio is too much
affected with the enormity of his sins, or he who is
not affected enough ? Is it he who, notwithstanding;
his sorrows and regrets, dare not venture to believe
himself an object of divine compassion; or he who,
having no contrition, nor shedding any tears of re-
pentance, presumes on that cotnpassion ? Is it he,
whom the bare probability of being punished for his
sins, of being eternally laden w ith chains of dark-
mesSy of being an eternal prey to the worm that never
diith, 2 Pet. ii. 4. and of becoming fuel for that fire

304 The Incomprehensihility

which shall never he quenched^ Mark ix. 44, 45. de-
priveth of his rest, of a relish for the sweets of soci-
ety, and of all inclination to enjoy the most insinua-
ting pleasures ; or, is it he who, in spite of so many
reasons to fear his dangerous state, eats, drinks, di-
verts himself, runs from company to company, from
ciide to circle, and employs the moments, that are
given him to avoid his miseries, in inventing the
most effectual means of forgetting them ? I repeat it
again, a melancholy, that is occasioned by the re-
membrance of sin, hath something respectable in it,
and the greatest part of those who treat it altogeth-
er as an absurditv, are more absurd than those who
fall into it.

I intend, however, in this part of my discourse,
to oppose this melancholy gloom. And thanks be
to those divine mercies, the grandeur of w^hich I
am this day commending, for furnishing me with so
many means of opposing this disposition, independ-
ently on the words of my text. What a multitude
of reflections present themselves beside those which
arise from the subject in hand !

What madness possesseth thy melancholy mind ?
The Holy Spirit assures thee, that though thy sins
he as scarlet he will make them as white as snow ;
that though they he red as crimson he will make them
as white as 7Vool,'' Isa. i. 18. and dost thou think that
thy sins are too aggravated to be pardoned in this
manner ?

The Holy Spirit gives thee a long list of the most
execrable names in nature ; a list of idolaters, mur-
derers, extortioners, adulterers, persecutors, high-

of the Mercy of God, 305

way robbers, and blasphemers, who obtained mercy
when they desired and sought it : and art thou ob-
stinately bent on excluding thyself from the num-
ber of those sinners, to whom mercy is promised ;
and, because thou dost not believe it attainable, dost
thou obstinately refuse to ask for it?

The Holy Spirit hath lifted up an ensign for the
nations, Isa. xi. 12. or, to speak without a figure,
the Holy Ghost hath lifted up a cross, and on that
cross a Redeemer, who is " able to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by him,'* Heb. vii,
25. and who himself saith to all sinners, " Come un-
to me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, I
will give you rest, and ye shall find rest unto your
souls," Mat. xi. 28, 29. And dost thou flee from
this cross, and rather choose to sink under the
weight of thy sins than to disburden them on a Re-
deemer, who is Avilling to bear them ?

But, passing all these, let us return to the text.
" My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the
heavens are . higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thouglits than your
thoughts." This is sufficient to refute, this is enough
to subvert, and to destroy, the whole system of a
despairing mind. The perfections of God are infi-
nite : By what rule then dost thou pretend to " lim-
it tlie holy one of Israel," Ps. Ixxviii. 41. " Canst
thou by searching find out God," Job xi. 7. Canst
thou find out the eternity of him, with whom " a
thousand years are as one day, and one day as a
thousand years," 2 Pet iii. 8. Canst thou find out

VOL. I. 39

306 The IncompreJiensihility

the extent of his wisdom ; a wisdom that first hr-
\ented, then created, that governs now, and will
for ever govern, both the material and intelligent
worlds ? Behold, " his understanding is infinite,"
Ps. cxlvii. 5. Canst thou find out the power of him
who " weighed the mountains in scales, and the
hills in a balance," Isa. xl. 12. who " taketh up the
isles as a very little thing ?" ver. 15.

The mercy of God is no less inconceivable than
the rest of his attributes. The nature of the thing-
proves it ; reason declares it ; revelation places it in
the clearest light; experience confirms it; and of
his mercy God saith in the text, " My thoughts are
not your thoughts, neither are your ways ury ways.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts."

Your thoughts have formed a gloomy system, and
ye think that God can pardon a first, or a second,
or perhaps a third sin, but ye cannot believe that he
can forgive the hundredth, or even the fortieth of-
fence : But God's thoughts are, that he can abund-
antly pardon ; that he can forgive the hundredth of-
fence, yea the thousandth and the ten thousandth,
as well as the first and the second, if ye be sincere-
ly willing to renounce them, and seriously endeav-
our to reform them.

Ye think, agreeably to your gloomy system, that
God doth indeed pardon some crimes, but that there
are some which he will not pardon ; that he some-
times pardoneth hatred, but that he will never for-
give murder; that he sometimes pardoneth sins of

^f the Mercy of God, 307

infirmity, but that he will never forgive sins of ob-
stinacy ; that he pardoneth idle words, but that he
will never forgive blasphemies : But God's thoughts
are that he \v\\\ abundantly pardon j that he will par-
don murder as well as hatred ; and sins of obstinacy
as well as sins of infirmity ; provided ye be sincere-
ly willing to renounce them, and seriously endeav-
our to reform them.

Ye think, consistently with yoiu' melancholy sys-
tem, that God may perhaps pardon the sins of a few
days, or of a few months, or of a few years ; but
that he cannot forgive the sins of ten, or twenty
years, or of a whole life : But God thinks that he
can abundantly pardon ; that he can forgive the sins
often years, or of twenty, or of a w^hole life, as well
as the sins of one day, or of one month, or of one
year; if ye be sincerely willing to renounce them,
and seriously endeavour to reform them.

Your thoughts are that God pardoneth the sins of
those whom he hath not called into church-fellow-
ship, nor distinguished by particular favours : But
the thoughts of God are that he will abundantly par-
don; that he will forgive sins committed under the
Mosaic dispensation as w^ell as those that have been
committed under the dispensation of nature, those
that have been committed under the gospel as well
as those that have been committed under the law,
or before the law ; if ye be sincerely willing to re-
nounce, and seriously endeavour to reform them.
It is not I, it is the prophet, it is God himself, by the
prophet, who attests these truths : " Seek ye the
Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him

308 The Incomprehensihility

while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; and let him
RETURN UNTO THE LoRD, and he will have mercy up-
on him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly
PARDON. For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts."

If ye sincerely /or5aA:e, and seriously reform them.
Have ye not been surprised at the frequent repeti-
tion of this clause ? This clause, however, is the
ground of all the promises, that we make to you on
God's part. The chief design of the prophet is to
produce obedience to God, and in this we w ould
wish to unite this whole assembly. Deprive the
text of this clause, and the rest of the w^ords are not
only false and unwarrantable, but contradictory to
themselves, and injurious to that God, whose mercy
we have been publishing. We have no consolation
for a melancholy man, w ho is resolved to persist in
his sins. We have no remedy against despair, w hen
the despairing man refuseth to renounce those crimes,
the remembrance of which causeth all his distress
and despair.

Ye slanderers, ye false accusers, ye pests of so-
ciety, " God will abundantly pardon you." Yea,
though ye have been wickedly industrious to poison
the purest words, the most harmless actions, the ho-
liest intentions, yet ye ought not to despair of the
mercy of God; for his thoughts are not as your
thoughts, nor his ways as your ways. He will for-

of the Mercy of God. 309

give all your sins, if ye sincerely forsake, and seri-
ously reform them ; if ye do justice to the innocence
that ye have attacked, and repair the reputation that
ye have damaged.

Ye unjust, ye oppressors, ye extortioners, ye
who, as well as your ancestors, have lived on the sub-
stance of the wretched, and who are about to trans-
mit an accursed patrimony to your posterity, God
will abundantly pardon you: yea, though ye have
made a sale of justice, negociated the blood of the
miserable, betrayed the state, and sold your country,
yet ye ought not to despak of the mercy of God,
for '' his thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
his ways your ways." All these sins he will forgive,
if ye endeavour seriously to amend them ; if ye lay
aside those equipages, and retrench those sumptuous
festivals, which are the fruits of your own, and of
your parents, oppressions and extortions.

Ye sick, ye dying people, who cannot think of
your momentary life without thinking of those sins,
which ye have been perpetually committing, and in
the multitude and magnitude of which your thoughts
are lost, " God will abundantly pardon you." Though
no other time remains to conciliate your souls to God
than the last days of a dying illness, the slight re-
mains of a departing life, yet ye ought not to despair
of the mercy of God, for " his thoughts are not as
your thoughts, neither are his ways as your ways."
He will forgive all your sins, if ye sincerely forsake,
and seriously reform them ; if ye be animated not
only with the fear of death and hell, but with a sin-
cere desire of returning unto the Lord; if ye do not

310 The Incomprehensibility, S{c,

make your pastor an accomplice in your sins ; if ye
do not forbid him the mentioning of some of your
sins ; if ye do not prevent the removal of that vail,
which yet hides a great part of your turpitude from
you ; in a word, if ye willingly fall in with all the
ways of repentance and reparation, that may be
opened to you.

I conclude with the clause, that I have so often
repeated, and which I repeat again, (and wo be to
him who forgets it ! wo be to him who, by his per-
severance in sin, rendereth his compliance impossi-
ble !) if ye sincerely forsake, and seriously endeav-
our to reform and i^epau' them. I give you a sub-
ject to meditate for the conclusion of this discourse,
(a very terrible and alarming conclusion for those
who have the madness to turn the grace of God into
lasciviousness,) Jude 4. this subject, which I leave
with you to meditate, is, what degree of punisliment
in hell will be inflicted upon such men as despise the
mercy that we have been describing ? God grant that
ye may never be able to answer this by your own
experience ! Amen»

SERMON IX.

The Severity of God,

>®<

Hebrews xii. 29.
For our God is a consuming Jire,

JLT is a very deplorable thing, that your preachers
can never expatiate on the goodness of God, with-
out having just grounds to fear that ye infer danger-
ous consequences from their doctrine. That good-
ness, of which God hath made such tender declara-
tions ; that goodness, of which he hath given us such
astonishing proofs; that goodness, which seems so
proper to make us love him above all things ; that
goodness, through our abuse of it, contributes the
most, to rivet our infidelity, and to increase our mis-
ery. We freely acknowledge, therefore, that with
fear and trembling we endeavoured last Lord's day
to display its greatness, and, though all our portraits
were infinitely beneath the original, thougli we es-
teemed it then our happiness, and our glory, not to
be able to reach our subject, yet Ave have been afraid
of having said too much. When, to prevent the fa-
tal effects of despau*, we assured you, that, though
ye had trafiicked with the blood of the oppressed, or
betrayed the state, or sold your country, yet ye
might derive from the ocean of divine mercy a par-

3J2 The Severity of God,

don for all these crimes, provided ye were enabled
sincerely to repent, and thoroughly to reform them ;
when we said these things, we revolved in our minds
these discouraging thoughts: Perhaps some of our
hearers may poison our doctrine : Perhaps some
monster, of which nature produceth an example in
every age, actually saith to himself; I may then,
without despairing of my salvation, traffic with the
blood of the oppressed, betray the state, sell my
country, and, having spent my life in these Avicked
practices, turn to God on my death-bed. Ye will
allow, Ave hope, that the bare probability of our hav-
ing occasioned so dangerous a Avound ought to en-
gage us to attempt to heal it, by contrasting to-day
the goodness of God Avith his severity.

The text that Ave have chosen, is the language of
St. Paul, " Our God is a consuming fire ;" and, it is
AA^orthy of observation, that we haA^e scrupulously
imitated the apostle's example in making this sub-
ject immediately succeed that Avhich Ave explained
last Lord's day. The gospel of last Lord's day Avas
a passage in Isaiah, " God will abundantly pardon,
for his thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our
ways his Avays : for as the heavens are higher than
the earth, so are his Avays higher than our Avays and
his thoughts than our thoughts," Isa. Iv. 7. The
gospel of this day is, " Our God is a consuming
fire." St. Paul hath made a similar arrangement, and
him we have imitated. In the verses which precede
our text he hath described, in a very magnificent
manner, the goodness of God in the dispensation of
the gospel. He hath exalted the condition of a

The Severity of God, 313

Christian, not only above that of the heathens, who
knew the mercy of God only by natural reason, but
even above that of the Jews, who knew it by revela-
tion, but from whom it was partly hidden under vails
of severity and rigour. " Ye are not come, said he,
unto the mount that might be touched, and that
burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness,
and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the
Toice of words, which voice they that heard, intreat-
ed that the word should not be spoken to them any
more. But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and un-
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusa-
lem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to
the general assembly and church of the first-born,
which are written in heaven, and to Jesus the me-
diator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of
Abel," ver. 18, <kc. But what consequences hath
the apostle drawn from all these truths ? Are they
consequences of security and indifference, such as
some Christians draw from them, such as some of
you, it maybe, drew fn-m the prophet's doctrine
last Lord's day ? No ; they are consequences of
vigilance and fear : " See that ye refuse not him
that speaketh : for if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth, much more shall not
we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh
from heaven : For our God is a consuming fire,"
ver. 25.

Our God is a consuming Jire, These words are
metaphorical ; they include even a double metaphor.
God is here represented under the emblem of fire,

T0T<. T. 40

314 The Severity of God.

agreeably to what the psalmist saith. Shall thy wrath
hum like fire ? Ps. Ixxxix. 46. There is no difficul-
iy in this first metaphor. But the second, which
representeth the conduct of God towards impenitent
sinnei-s as wrath, vengeance, anger, is very difficult,
and requires a particular explication. In order to
which we will attempt three things.

J. We will endeavour to harmonize our text with
other parallel passages, and to give you distinct ideas
of that which is called in God wrath, anger, ven-
geance, and which occasioned our apostle to say,
God is a consuming fire,

II. We w ill prove that this attribute agrees to God
in the sense that we shall have given.

III. We w ill endeavour to reconcile the doctrine
that we preach to-day with that which we preached
last Lord's day ; the justice of God with his good-
ness ; and by this mean to engage you to love and
adore God as much w hen he threateneth as when he
promiseth, as much when he presents his justice as
when he displays his mercy. This is the w4iole plan
of this discourse.

I. We will endeavour to give you distinct notions
of that which the scripture calls the wrath, the anger^
the vengeance of God.

Recollect a remark which w^e have often made,
that is, that when the scripture speaks of the perfec-
tions and operations of God it borroweth images
from the affections and actions of men. Things that
cannot be known to us by themselves can be under-
stood only by analogy, as it is called, that is, by the
resemblance which they bear to other things, with

The Seventy of God, 315

which we are better acquainted. Divine things are
of this kind.

From this remark follows a precaution, which is
necessary for the avoiding of error whenever we
meet with an emblem of this kind descriptive of God
in the Holy Scriptures ; that is, that we must care-
fully lay aside every part of the emblem, that agreeth
only to men from whom it is boiTosved, and apply
only that part to the Deity which is compatible with
the eminence of his perfections.

Sometimes the part that ought to be laid aside is
so obvious that it is impossible to mistake it. For
example: When the scripture attributed to God
hands, or feet, sorrow, or tears, or jealousy, it is very
easy, methinks to separate from emblems of this sort
all that can only agree with the natures 9f frail, or
with the conditions of sinful men.

But sometimes it is not quite so easy. The dif-
ficulty may proceed from several causes, of all which
I shall mention but one at present, and to that I in-
treat your attention. Some men have false notions
of grandeur,- and none are more likely to entertain
such notions than those divines, who have breai;hed
only the air of the study, and trodden only the dust
of the schools. Such divines, having never sweet-
ened their manners by a social mtercourse with ra-
tional people in the world, have often contracted in
that way of life a sour morose disposition, and their
tempers have tinged their ideas of grandeur and
glory. I am greatly inclined to believe that some
ideas, which several school-men have formed of the
liberty and independence of God, have arisen from

316 The Seventy of God,

this disposition. Divines, who have sweetened their
manners by associating with rational people in the
world, would have attributed to God a noble and
magnanimous use of his liberty and independence.
They would have said, God is free and independ-
ent, then he will always do justly and equitably ;
then he will require of mankind only that which
bears a proportion to the talents that he hath given
them ; then misery will be the consequence of no-
thing but vice, and felicity will always follow virtue.
If the scriptures sometimes represent God by em-
blems, which seem opposite to these notions, sensible
men would have considered that one part of them
ought to have been cautiously separated from the
other, because it was incompatible with the eminence
of the perfections of God. But these scholastic di-
vines have attributed to God such a conduct as their
own savage tempers would have observed, had they
been vested with divine power. To each of them
the prophet's reproach may be very properly ap-
plied, These things hast thou done, and thou thought-
est that I was altogether such a one as thyself, Ps.l. 21.
They said, God is free, therefore he may appoint
men, who have done neither good nor evil, to eter-
nal flames. God is free, therefore he may create
men on purpose that they may sin, and that he may
display his wrath in their punishment.

II. Here let us stop, and let us keep to the sub-
ject in hand, by observing that those emblems of
w rath and vengeance, under which God is represent-
ed to us, have one part that cannot be attributed to
him, because it is not compatible with the eminence

The Severity of God. 317

of bis perfections, and another, that must be applied
to him because it is.

1. It is a consequence of the frailty or of the de-
pravity of men, that their anger inclines them to
hate those whom they ought to love, and in whose
happiness they ought to interest themselves, as far
as they can without violating the laws of equity.
Such a hatred cannot be attributed to God; he loves
all his intelligent creatures, and when we are told
that "the Lord hateth a proud look, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood," Prov. vi. 17.
when he is represented as refusing some real bless-
ings to mankind, as "hardening their hearts, as
sending them strong delusions, that they should be-
lieve a lie," Exod. iv. 21. 2 Thess. ii. 11. all these
descriptions mean that he dislikes sin, and all those
who commit it; that it is not always consistent with
the eminence of his perfections to work miracles
for their conversion : and that it is not fit to reform
by a physical power, w^hich would destroy the na-
ture of vice and virtue, men who refuse to be re-
formed by a moral power, which is suited to intelli-
gent beings.

2. It is a consequence of human frailty or depra-
vity that men's ivrath, makes them taste a barbarous
pleasure in tormenting those who are the objects of
it, and in feasting, as it were on their miseries. This
is incompatible with the eminence of the perfec-
tions of God. When he saith to impenitent sinners,
" I will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when
your fear cometh," Prov. i. 26. when he saith, "Ah,
I will ease me of mine adversaries," Isa. i. 24. when

318 The Severity of God.

Moses saith to the Jews, " It shall come to pass, that
as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, so
the liord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and
to bring you to nought," Deut. xxviii. 63. all the
meaning of passages of this kind is, that the wisdom
of God approveth the judgments that his justice in-
flicts ; that the punishments of sinners cannot affect
his happiness ; and that when he hath not been glori-
fied in thek conversion, he will be glorified in then*
destruction.

3. It is a consequence of the frailty or of the de-
pravity of men, that their anger disorders their bo-
dies, and impairs their minds. See the eyes sparkle,
the moutii foams, the animal spirits are in a flame ;
these obscure the faculties of the mind, and prevent
the weighing of those reasons that plead for the guil-
ty oflender j anger prejudge th hun, and in spite of
many powerful pleas in his favor, his ruin is resolv-
ed. All these are incompatible with the eminence of
the perfections of God. God is a spirit, John iv. 24.
he is not subject to revolutions of sense ; reasons of
punishing a sinner never divert his attention from
motives of pardoning the man, or of moderating his
pain. When, therefore, God is represented as " shak-
ing the earth, and moving the foundations of the
hills, because he is wroth ; when we read, that there
went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of
his mouth," Psa. xviii. 7, 8. when he who is called
the Word of God, is described as treading " the wine-
press of the fierceness of the wrath of almighty God,"
Rev. xix. 13, 15. we understand no more than that
God knoweth how to proportion the punishment to

The Severity of God. 319

the sin, and that he Avill inflict the most rigorous pen-
ahies on the most atrocious crimes.

4. It is a consecjuence of the frailly and depravity
of men, that their anger makes tliem usurp a right
which belongs to God. An individual, who aveng-
etli himself, assumes the place of thr.t God who hath
said, Vengeance is mi.ie, Rom. xii. 19. at least, he
assumes the place of the magistrate, to whom God
hath committed the sword for the preventing of
those disorders, which would subvert society, if each
w^ere judge in his own cause. This is incompatible
w ith the eminence of the divine perfections. God
useth his own right when he punisheth sin, agree-
ably to the doctrine of St. Paul, " Dearly beloved,
avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto
wrath ; for it is written, vengeance is mine ; I will
repay, saith the Lord." What is this wrath, to which
we are recjuired to give place ? It is the anger of
God. Avenge not yourselves, hut give place unto
wrath y that is, be not hasty in revenging injuries,
your self-love may magnify them, and the punish-
ment which ye inflict may exceed the offence ; leave
vengeance to God, who knoweth how to weigh the
injuries that ye have received in an impartial scale,
and to inflict such punishments on the guihy as their
crimes deserve.

5. It is a consequence of the frailty and depravi-
ty of men, that time doth not abate their resent-
ment, and that the only reason, which prevents the
rendering of evil for evil, is a want of opportunity ;
as soon as an opportunity offers they eagerly em-
brace it. This is incompatible with the eminence

520 The Severity of God.

of the perfections of God ; he hath at all times the
means of punishing the guilty. When we are told,
therefore, that he " sets our iniquities before him,
our secret sins in the light of his countenance," Ps.
xc. 8. when, having reprieved the Israelites at the
request of Moses, he told him, " in the day when I
visit, I will visit their sin upon them," Exod. xxxii.
34. we only imderstand, that time never removes an
idea fi'om his mind ; and that if a sinner do not im-
prove the time, which is granted to him for his re-
pentance, he will be punished when that period ex-
pires.

6. In fine, it is a consequence of the frailty and
depravity of men, that their anger puts them upon
considering and punishing a pardonable frailty as an
atrocious crime. This is incompatible with the emi-
nence of the divine perfection. If we imagine that
God acts so, in any cases, it is because we have false
notions of sins, and think that a pardonable frailty
which is an atrocious crime. Sometimes an action
that appears tolerable to us, is an atrocious crhne,
on account of the motive from which it proceeds.
Such was that of Hezekiah ; he shewed his treasures
to the Babylonian ambassadors, and although this
may seem very pardonable, yet it was an atrocious
crime, which appears by the following passage,
" Hezekiah rendered not again according to the ben-
efit done unto him : for his heart was lifted up ; there-
fore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and
Jerusalem," 2 Chron. xxxii. 25. An action that may
appear to us very tolerable, is sometimes a heinous
crime;, on account of the singularity of the favour

The Severity of God. 321

which preceded it. Such was the conduct of Lot's
wife ; she looked back toward Sodom, w^hich al-
though it may seem very pardonable was yet a hein-
ous crime, because she disobeyed the express coirn
mand of her benefactor, who had just delivered her
from the destruction of Sodom; and therefore she
was instantly petrified. An action that may seem
very tolerable to us, is sometimes a very atrocious
crime, on account of the little temptation which the
offender had to commit it. Such Avas the action of
that man who gathered sticks upon the Sabbath-dai/y
Numb. XV. 32. and although this may seem very tol-
erable to us yet it was a heinous offence, because it
was very easy to abstain from it, and therefore he
was stoned. An action, that may seem very pardon-
able to us, may be a heinous crime, on account of
the dignity of the offender. Such w^as that of Na-
dab and Abihu ; they offered strange fire to the Lord,
and although it may appear very pardonable to us
yet it Avas an atrocious crime, for Nadab and Abihu
w^ere ministers of holy things, and they ought to have
given examples of exact and scrupulous obedience,
accordingly they were consumed with fire from hea-
ven. Lev. X. 1, 2.

Thus w^e have gone through our first article, and
have endeavoured to give you distinct ideas of that
which the scripture calls in God, wrath, anger, con-
suming Jire,

Moreover, in explaining the meaning of tlie pro-
position in the text, we have collected several passa-
ges, and alleged several examples, which prove the
truth under our consideration. The explication of

VOL. I. 41

322 The Severity of God.

this proposition, our God is a consuming fire, proves
its truth in the sense in which we have explained it.
"V^^e leave the enlargement of this article to yom-
meditation, and proceed to the next.

III. We are to conciliate what the scripture saith
of the goodness of God with what it saith of his an-
ger or vengeance ; the gospel of last Lord's day with
the gospel of this day : and, as the two subjects never
appear more irreconcileable than Avhen, having used
all our endeavours to terrify people who defer their
conversion till a dying-illness, we actually take pains
to comfort those who have deferred it till that time,
we wjll endeavour to harmonize the goodness and
justice of God in that particular point of view.

First, Let us endeavour, in a general view, to re-
concile the goodness of God with his justice, by lay-
ing down a few principles.

1. To speak properly, there are not several per-
fections in God ; but there is one single excellence,
inclusive of every other, that ariseth from all his
perfections, but of which it is not possible that we
can either form any complete ideas, or easily ex-
press by any name : in general, it may be called or-
der, or love of order. Order, in regard to finite
and dependent beings, is that disposition, which
induceth them to act agreeably to their relations
to other intelligent beings; to the faculties which
the Creator hath given them ; to the talents that they
have received; and to the circumstances in which
they are placed. Order, in regard to God, who is
an inlinite and an independent intelligence, is that
disposition, which induceth him always to act agTee-
ably to the eminence of his perfections.

The Severity of God. 323

2. Although God hath only a general excellence,
yet it is necessary for us to divide it into several par-
ticular excellencies, in order to the obtaining of some
knowledge of an object, the immensity of which will
not allow us to comprehend it at once. We are obli-
ged to use this method in studying finite objects,
whenever their sphere extends beyond the comprehen-
sion of a single act of the mind : And, if finite ob-
jects can be known only by this method, for a much
stronger reason we must be allow^ed to use the same
method of obtaining the knowledge of the great and
infinite Being.

3. The general excellence of God being thus di-
vided in parts, each part becomes what we call a per-
fection, or an attribute of God, as vengeance or jus-
lice, and goodness : but each particular attribute w ill
be still mistaken unless w^e subdivide it again into
other, and still more contracted spheres. Thus,
when God sendeth rain and fruitful seasons, w^e call
the blessing simply bounty. When he delivereth us
out of our afflictions, w^e call it compassion. When
he pardoneth our sins, we call it mercy. But as all
these particular excellencies proceed from tliat gen-
eral attribute w hich w^e call goodness, so that attri-
bute itself proceedeth, as well as his justice, from an
excellence more general still, w^hich we have denom-
inated order or love of order.

4. Perfections that proceed from the same perfec-
tion, or rather, which are the same perfection appli-
<^d to different subjects, cannot be contrary to
each other. Strictly speakinir, God is no n^ore
just than good, no more good than just. His good-

324 The Seventy of God.

iiess is restrained by his justice, bis justice by bis
goodness. He deligbteth as much in the exercise
of bis justice, when order requires it, as in the ex-
ercise of bis goodness, when order requires him to
exercise it : or, to express the same thino^ more plain-
ly, that which is goodness, when it is applied to one
case, woukl cease to be goodness, were it applied to
a different case, because, in the latter, goodness
w ould not be restrained by justice : or, to express
myself more plainly still, because order, wliich al-
low eth the exercise of goodness in the first case, doth
not allow the exercise of it in the last, so tiiat wlmt
would be fit, or agreeable to order, in the fust case,
would be unfit or disorderly in the last.

To conclude. God is as amiable and adorable
when he exerciseth his justice, as when he exerciseth
his goodness. That which makes me adore God, be-
lieve his word, hope in his promises, and love him
above all things, is the eminence of his perfections.
Were not God possessed of such an eminence of
bis perfections, he would not be a proper object of
adoration. I should be in danger of being deceived
were I to believe his word, or to trust his promise,
and I should be guilty of idolatry, were I to love
him with that supreme afiection, which is due to
none but the Supreme Being. But, the goodness
and justice of God being equal emanations of the
eminence of his perfections, and of his love of or-
der, I ought equally to adore and love him when
he revv ardeth, and when he punisheth, when he ex-
erciseth his justice, and when he exerciseth his
goodness; because, in either case, he alike dis-

The Severily of God 325

playeth that general excellence, that love of order,
which is the ground of my love and ol)edience. 1
ought to adore and love hiin, as much when he
drowns the world, as Vv hen he promiseth to drown
it no more ; when he unlocks the gates of hell, as
when he openeth the doors of heaven ; when he
saith to the impenitent, "Depart, ye cursed, to
the devil and his angels," Mat. xxv. 41. as when
he saith to his elect, " Come ye blessed of my Fa-
ther, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world," Mat. xxv. 34.

The justice and the goodness of God, then, are
in perfect harmony ; the gospel of last Lord's-day,
and the gospel of this day, entirely agree ; the pro-
phet and the apostle preach the same doctrine, and
the two texts rightly understood, God is a consum-
ing Jire; the Lord will ahundantly pardon: both
these texts, I say, present the same object to us, the
eminence of the divine perfections, God's love of
order. This is wdiat we proposed to prove.

Let us now apply this general harmony of the
goodness and severity of God, to the removing of
a seeming inconsistency in the conduct of your
preachers and casuists, who first use every effort to
alarm and terrify your minds with the idea of a
death-bed repentance, and afterward take equal
pains to comfort you, when ye have deferred your
repentance to that time, and when your case appears
desperate.

Why do we not despair of a man who delays his
conversion till the approach of death ? Why did we
tell you last Lord's-day, that God pardoneth not

326 The Seventy of God,

only the sins of months and years, but of a whole
life ? Because that order which constitutes the emi-
nence of the divine perfections, doth not allow that
a sincere conversion, a conversion that reforms the
sin, and rene\\s the sinner should be rejected by
God. Now we cannot absolutely deny the possi-
bility of a sincere death-bed conversion for the fol-
lowing reasons,

1. Because it is not absolutely impossible, that a
violent fit of sickness, or an apprehension of death,
should make deeper impressions on the mind, than
either sermons, or exhortations, or books of devo-
tion could ever produce. This reflection is the more
solid, because the phrase, an unconverted man, is ex-
tremely equivocal. We call him an unconverted
man, who profanely rusheth into all sorts of sins,
and who never made one sacrifice to order ; and we
also, with great reason, call him an unconverted man,
who hath renounced all sins except one. Now the
idea of death may finish, in the souls of people of
the latter sort, a w ork which they had indeed neglect-
ed, but which however was actually begun.

2. Because we are neither so fully acquainted with
other people's hearts, nor indeed with our own, as
to determine whether sin have so entirely depraved
all the faculties of the soul, that it is past remedy ;
or, whether it have arrived at that precise degree of
corruption, to which the eminence of the divine per-
fections doth not allow a display of that efficacy,
w^hich is promised to those who desire the grace of
conversion.

The Severity of God. 327

3. Because we find, in the Holy Scriptures, that
some have obtained mercy, after they had commit-
ted the very crimes, the remembrance of which, we
have said, ought not to chive any to despair. We
meet with, at least, one example, which affords a
probability, (I do not say a demonstration) that the
eminence of the divine prefections doth not always
require, that a man, who hath spent his life in rob-
beries, should be excluded from the mercy of God.
We find there a thief who was condemned to be cru-
cified, and who said to the companion of his iniqui-
ties and miseries, we receive the due rewards of our
deeds y Luke xxiii. 41. but who, notwithstanding all
the misery of his case, applied to Jesus Christ, and,
from his adorable mouth, received this comfortable
promise, " Verily I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou
be with me in paradise," Luke xxiii. 43.

4. Because we still see people, who, having lived
thirty, yea fifty years in sin, have been converted
in a time of sickness, and who, being restored to
health, give full proof of the reality of their conver-
sion. Such, examples, I own, are rare, and almost
unheard of, yet we could, perhaps, mention two
or three, out of twenty thousand sick people, whom
we have visited, or of whom heard, in the course
of our ministry. Now the examples of two or three,
who have been converted on a sick-bed, out of
twenty thousand who have died without conversion,
are sufficient to prevent our saying to one dying
man, who should have put off his repentance to
the last hour, that it is impossible for him to be
converted.

:328 The Severity of God,

5. Because God worketh miracles in religion as
well as in nature, and becaiise no man hath a suffi-
cient knowledge of the nature of God's perfections
to enable him to affirm that a miracle cannot, or
ougljt not to be wrought in behalf of such a sinner.

6. Because we cannot find, that your pastors
have any authority from their Bibles to say to a
penitent sinner, at any time, there is no more hope
for thee ; thou hast exhausted the mercy of God;
thou art gotten to that period, in which we have no
other morality to preach than this, he that is unjust,
let him he unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him
he filthy still, Rev. xxii. 11. On the contrary, all
the directions in the Holy Scriptures, that relate to
the exercise of our ministry, engage us to pray for
a sinner, as long as he hath a spark of life ; to en-
deavour to convince him as long as he is capable of
reasoning ; and, till he is past feeling the force of
motives to conversion, to do every thing, that is in
our poAver, to convert him. But doth not all this
conduct suppose that which we have been endeav-
ouring to prove? That is, that to what degree soev-
er a sinner may have carried his sin, how long so-
ever he may have lived in it, there will always be a
sufficiency of pardon, where there is a certainty of
conversion ; agreeably to the gospel that we preach-
ed to you on the last Lord's-day, "Seek ye the
Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while
he is near : Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts : And let him return
unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon :"

The Severity of God. 329

For iny thoughts of grace and mercy must not be
measured by the ideas of the finest reasoning pow-
ers; much less by those of a gloomy desponding
mind, "My thoughts are not your tlioughts, neither
are your ways my ways, saith the Lord : For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your
thoughts." This was the gospel of last Lord's-day.

The gospel of this day is, our God is a consuming
Jire, But these two gospels entirely agree, and
our endeavours to comfort you, after ye have de-
ferred your conversion to a death-bed, are not in-
consistent with our endeavours to terrify and alarm
you, when we perceive that ye obstinately deter-
mine to defer your repentance to that time. More-
over, the same reasons which prevail with us to com-
fort you in that sad period, prevail with us to give
you a salutary alarm before the fatal moment comes.

It is true, Gods thoughts are not our thoughts ; and
it is possible that the approach of death may make
deeper impressions on you, than either sermons or
pious books have made: But yet our God is a con-
suming Jire. What a time is a dying illness for the
receiving of such impressions! I omit those sudden
and unexpected deaths, of which we have so many
yearly, or rather daily, examples. I omit the sud-
den deaths of those, who, while v/e were convers-
ing and transacting business v>'ith thefn, were seiz-
ed with violent pains, turned pale, and died, and
were instantly stretched on a bier. I pass those,
who went to bed healtiiy and u ell, who quietly fell
asleep, and whom we have found in tlie mornmg

VOL. I. 42

330 The Severity of God.

dead and cold. All these melancholy examples we
omit, for one would imagine, considering your con-
duct, and hearing your conversation, that each of
you had received a revelation to assure him of an
exemption from sudden death. But what a time is a
dying illness for renovation and conversion ! Would
not one suppose, that those, who hope to be convert-
ed then, have always lived among immortals, and
have neither heard of death, nor seen a person die ?
Ah ! What obstacles! What a world of obstacles op-
pose such extravagant hopes, and justify the efforts
of those who endeavour to destroy them! Here is
business that must be settled ; a will, which must be
made ; a number of articles that must be discussed :
there are friends, who must be embraced ; relations,
that must be dissolved ; children, who must be torn
away ; the soul must be writhen, and rent, and riven
asunder with sighs and adieus. Here, arise frightful
ideas of death, which have never entered the mind
but amidst numberless hurries of necessary business,
or countless objects of deceitful pleasures ; ideas of
a death, that hath been always considered at a dis-
tance, though so many voices have announced its
approach ; but the approach of which now astonish-
es, benumbs, and i^enders motionless : There, the ill-
ness increaseth, pains multiply, agonies convulse,
the whole sou], full of intolerable sensations loseth
the power of seeing and hearing, thinking and re-
flecting. Here are medicines more intolerable than
the malady, operations more violent than the agonies
which they are designed to allay : There, conscience,
for the first time, enlightened, awaked, and alarmed.

The Severity of God. 331

rolls in tides of remorse ; the terrible remembrance
of a life spent in sin ; an aiTny of irrefragable wit-
nesses, from all parts arising, prove the guilt, and
denounce a sentence of death, on the departing soul.
See now, whether this first re fleet ion, which authoriseth
our endeavours to comfort and invigorate your souls,
when ye have defen-ed your conversion to your last
hour, be inconsistent with those which we use to ter-
rify and alarm you, when ye obstinately put off your
repentance to that time ?

It is true, " God's thoughts are not our thoughts,"
and we have neither a sufficient knowledge of other
people's hearts, nor of our own, to affirm with cer-
tainty when their faculties are entirely contamina-
ted : But yet, " our God is a consuming fire." We
know men, to whom the truth is become unintelli-
gible, in consequence of the disguise in which they
have taken the pains to clothe it ; and who have ac-
customed themselves to palliate vice, tiii they are
become incapable of perceiving its turpitude.

" God's thoughts are notour thoughts," it is true;
and we have seen some examples of people, who
have proved, since their recovery, that they were
truly converted in sickness, and on whose account
we presume that others may possibly be converted
by the same mean : But yet " our God is a consum-
ing fire." How rare are these examples! Doth this
require proof ? Must we demonstrate it? Ye are
our proofs : ye, yourselves, are our demonstrations.
Who of you, (I speak of those who are of mature
age) Who of you hath not been sick, and thought
himself in danger of death ? Who hath not made

332 The Severity of God.

resolutions in that distressing hour, and promised
God to reform ? The law of these exercises forbids
certain details, and prohibits the naming of my
hearers : but I appeal to your consciences, and, if
your consciences be asleep, I appeal to the immor-
tal God. How many of you have deposited your
resolutions with us, and have solemnly engaged to
renounce the world with all its sinful maxims ? How
many of you have imposed upon us by appearan-
ces of conversion, and have imposed upon your-
selves too ? How many of you should we have al-
leged as new examples of death-bed conversions if
God had not granted you a recovery ? Are ye con-
verted indeed ? Have ye renounced the world and
its maxims? Ah! were we to judge by the con-
duct of those who have recovered, of the state of

those who are dead My brethren, I

dare not examine the matter, but I leave it to your
meditation.

Itistrue, " God's thoughts are not our thoughts;"
and God worketh miracles in religion as well as in
nature : But yet, " our God is a consuming fire."
Who can assure himself, that having abused com-
mon grace, he shall obtain extraordinary assist-
ances ?

It is true, " God's thoughts are not our thoughts;"
and tliere is nothing in the Holy Scriptures, which
impowers us to shut the gates of heaven against a
dymg penitent ; we have no authority to tell you,
that there is no more hope for you, but that ye are
lost without remedy : But yet, " our God is a con-
suming fire." There are hundreds of passages in om-

The Severity of God. 33^

Bibles, which authorise us to declare what I am say-
ing : there are hundreds of passages that command us,
under the penalty of suffering all the punishments
that belong to the crime, not to conceal any thing
from the criminal : there are hundreds of passages
which empower and enjoin us to warn you, you,
who are fifty years of age ; you, who are sixty ;
you, who are fourscore ; that still to put off the
work of your conversion, is a madness, an excess
of inflexibility and indolence, which all the flames
of hell can never expiate.

To conclude. This is an article, of which we,
your pastors, hope to give a good account to God,
however unworthy w^e are of his approbation.
How often have we represented the danger of your
procrastinations? Ye walls of this church! were ye
capable of giving evidence, we would take you to
witness. But we appeal to you, ye sermons, that
have been preached in this assembly ! ye shall be
recollected in that great day, in which each of our
hearers shall give an account of the use that he hath
made of you'. Ye consciences, that have heard our
duections! ye shall bear witness. Ye gainsay ers !
ye yourselves shall bear witness, ye who, by revers-
ing those ideas which the gospel giveth us of the
mercy of God, have so often pretended to obscure
those w^hich we have endeavoured to give of his jus-
tice and vengeance : " We are pure from your
blood, we have not shunned to declare unto you all
the counsel of God," Acts xx. 26, 27. When we
stand at his tribunal, and, under a sense of the weak-
ness with which our ministry w^as accompanied, say

334 The Severity of God.

to him, " Enter not into judgment with thy ser-
vants, OLord!" Ps. cxliii. 2. Each of us will ven-
ture to add, with a view to the importunity that had
been used to prevail with you to improve your pre-
cious moments, " I have preached righteousness in
the great congregation; lo, I have not refrained
my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. Withhold not thou
thy tender mercies from me, O Lord," Ps. xl. 9. IL
" I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain ;
yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my
work with my God," Isa. xlix. 4.

O ! may God animate us with more noble motives!
God grant, not that the eternal misery of our hear-
ers may be the apology of our ministry, Phil. iv. I.
but that ye may be our joy and crown in the day of
Christ! Amen, ch. 1. 10.

SERMON X.

The Patience of God with wicked Nations,

Genesis xv. 16.
The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full,

XT is a shocking disposition of mind, which Solo-
mon describes in that well known passage in Ec-
clesiastes : Because sentence against an evil work is
not executed speedily ; therefore the heart of the sons
of men is fully set in them to do evil, ch. viii. 11. It
seems, at first sight, as if the wise man had rather
exceeded in his portrait of the human heart ; or
that, if there were any originals, they could only be
a few monsters, from whose souls were eradicated
all the seeds -of religion and piety, as well as every
degree of reason and humanity. God is patient to-
ward all who ofl'end him; then, let us offend him
without remorse, let us try the utmost extent of his
patience. God lifteth over our heads a mighty hand,
armed with lightnings and thunderbolts, but this
hand is usually suspended a while before it strikes ;
then let us dare it while it delays, and till it moves
to crush us to pieces let us not respect it. What a
disposition! What a shocking disposition of mind is
this mv brethren ?

336 The Patience of God.

But let us rend the vails with which we conceal
ourselves from ourselves ; let us penetrate those se-
cret recesses of our consciences, into which we nev-
er enter but when we are forced ; let us go to the
bottom of a heart naturally deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked, and we shall find that this
disposition of mind, which at first sight inspires us
with horror, is the disposition : of whom ? Of the
greatest part of this assembly, my brethren. Could
we persist in sin without the patience of God ? Dare
we live in Ihat shameful secur^y, with which the
ministers of the living God so justly reproach us, if
God had authorized them to cry in our street, Yet
forty days, yet forty days / Jonah iii. Had w^e seen
Ananias and Sapphira fall at St. Peter s feet, as
soon as they kept back part of the price of their pos-
session, Acts V. 1, 2. in a word, could we have the
madness to add sin to sin, if we were really convin-
ced, that God entertained the formidable design of
bearing with us no longer, but of precipitating us
into the gulfs of hell on the very first act of rebel-
lion ? Why then do we rebel every day ? It is for
the reason alleged by the wise man : It is because
sentence against an evil work is not executed spee-
dily : Because sentence against an evil work is not ex-
ecuted speedily j therefore the heart of the sons of men
is fully set in them to do evil,

I intend to-day, my brethren, to endeavour to
dissipate the dark clouds, with which your security
obscures the designs of a patient God, who hath
been patient tow ards you, long suffering towards all,
2 Pet. iii. 9. and who is exercising his patience to-

The Patience of God. 337

ward you this day. But who can tell how much
lonoer he intends to bear with you ? Let us enter
into tlie matter. I design to consider our text prin-
cipally with a view to the riches of the forbearance,
and long-snjfering of God, Rom. ii. 4. for it treats of
a mystery of justice which interests all mankind.
God bears with the most wicked nations a long
while, and, having borne a long while with the re-
bellion of ancestors, bears also a long while with
that of their descendants ; but, at length, collecting
the rebellion of both into one point of vengeance,
he punisheth a people w ho have abused his patience,
and proportioneih his punishments to the length of
time which had been granted to avert them.

All these solemn truths are included in the senten-
tious w ords of the text : " The niiquity of the Amo-
rites is not yet full." I hasten to explain them in or-
der to employ the most of the precious moments of
attention, with which ye deign to favor me, in de-
riving such practical instructions from them as they
afford. Promote our design, my dear brethren. Let
not the forbearance, which the love of God now af-
fords you, *' set your hearts fully to do evil." And
thou, O almighty and long-suffering God ! whose
treasures of forbearance perhaps this nation may
have already exhausted ! O thou just avenger of sin !
who perhaps mayest be about to punish our crimes,
now ripe for vengeance, O suspend its execution till
we make some profound reflections on the objects
before us! O let the ardent prayers of our Abra-
hams, and of our Lots, prevail with thee to lengthen
the forbearance which thou hast already exercised to-

voL. I. 43

33a The Patience of God.

wards this church, these provinces, and every sinner
in this assembly ! Amen.

" The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."
These words were addressed to Abraham by God
himself. He had just before given him a victory
over five kings, and had promised him blessings more
glorious than all those which he had received before.
He had said to him, " Fear not, I am thy shield, and
thine exceeding great reward," Gen. xv. 1 , 2, 4, 5, 1 3.
But the Patriarch thou2::ht that these great promises
could not be accomplished, because he had no pos-
terity, and was far advanced in age. God relieves
hi)ii frojn this fear, by promising him not only a son,
but a posterity, which should equal the stars of hea-
ven in number, and should possess a country as ex-
tensive as their Avants : but at the same time he told
him, that, before the accomplishment of these prom-
ises, his seed should be either strangers in the land of
Canaan, the conquest of which should be reserved
for them, or subject to the Egyptians for the space
of four hundred years : that, at the expiration of that
period, they should quit their slavery, laden with
the spoils of Egypt : that, " in the fourth genera-
tion," they should return into the land of Canaan,
where Abraham dwelt, when the Lord addressed
these words to him ; that then they should conquer
the country, and should be the ministers of God's
vengeance on the Canaanites, whose abominations
even now deserved severe punishments, but which
God would at present defer, because the wretched
people had not yet filled up the measure of their
crimes.

The Patience of God. 339

This is a general view of our text in connection
with the context. " Know of a surety, that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and
shall serv^e them, and they shall afHict them four
hundred years. And also that nation whom they
shall sen^e, will I judge ; and afterward shall they
<^ome out Avith gieat substance. And thou shall go
to thy fathers in peace ; thou shalt be buried in a
good old age. But in the fourth generation they
shall come hither again ; for the iniquity of the Am-
orites is not yet full."

If ye would understand these words more particu-
larly, attend to a few remarks, which we shall only
mention in brief, because a discussion of them would
divert our attention too far from the principal design
of this discourse."^

We include in ihe four hunched years, mentioned in
the context, the time that the Israelites dwelt in Ca-
naan from the birth of Isaac, and the time which they
dwelt in Egypt fiom the promotion of Joseph. In-
deed, strictly speaking, these two periods contain
four hundred and Jive years. But every body knows
that authors, both sacred and piofane, to avoid frac-
tions, sometimes add and sometimes diminish, in
their calculations. In tlie twelfth chapter of Exo-
dus, ver. 40. Moses saith, " The children of Israel
dwelt in Egypt four hundred and thirty years;"
but it is beyond a doubt, tliat he useth a concise
way of speaking in this passage, and tliat the Se-
venty had reason for paraphrasing the words thus:

* This whole subject is treated at large in Mons. Saurin*s
xivth Dissertation on the Bible. Tom. Prem.

340 The Patience of God,

" The sojourning of the children of Israel, in the
LAND OF Canaan, and in the land of Egypt was
four hundred and thirty years." If the reasonable-
ness of tliis paraphrase be allowed, there will still
remain a difference of thirty years between the time
fixed in Genesis by the Lord for the conquest of
Canaan, and tlie time mentioned by Moses in Exo-
dus, but it is easy to reconcile this seeming differ-
ence, for the calculation in Genesis begins at the
birth of Isaac ; but the other commences at Abra-
ham's arrival in Canaan. The reckoning is exact,
for Abraham dwelt twenty five years in Canaan be-
fore Isaac was born, and thei^e were four hundred
and five years from tlie birth of Isaac to the depar-
ture out of Egypt. This is the meaning of the
passage quoted from Exodus, and, as it perfectly
agrees with our context, we shall conclude that this
first article is sufficiently explained.

Our second regards the meaning of the word gen-
eration, which is mentioned in the context. This
term is equivocal : sometimes it signifies the whole
age of each person in a succession ; and in this sense
the evangelist says, that " from Abraham to Uavid
are fourteen generations," Mat. i. 17. Sometimes
it is put for the whole duration of a living multi-
tude; and in this sense Jesus Christ useth it, when
he saith that this generation, that is, all his cotem-
poraries, shall not pass away, till his prophecies con-
cerning them were fulfilled. Sometimes it signifies
a period of ten years ; and in this sense it is used in
the book of Baruch, ch. yi. 2. ; the captivity in Bab-

The Patience of God. 341

ylon which continued we know, seventy years, is
there said to remain seven generations.

We understand the word now in the first sense,
and we mean that from the arrival of the Israelites
in Eg} pt, to the time of their migration, tliere were
four successions: The first was the generation of
Kohath, the son of Levi : the second of Amram the
son of Kohath ; the tiiird was that of Moses and
Aaron ; and the fourth was that of the children of
Moses and Aaron, Ex. vi. 16, 18, 20, kc.

Our third observation relates to tlie word Amo-
rites in our text. The iniquity of the Amorites is not
yet full. The word Amorites hath two significations
in scripture ; a particular and a general meaning.
It hath a particular meaning when it denotes the
descendants of Hamor, the fourth son of Canaan,
wdio first inhabited a mountainous country westward
of the .dead sea, and afterward spread themselves
eastward of that sea, between the rivers Jabbok,
and Arnon, having dispossessed the Amorites and
Moabites. Sihon and Oo;, two of their kin2:s were
defeated by Moses, Gen. x. 16. and Josh. xii. 23.

But the word Amorites is sometimes used in a
more general sense, and denotes ail the inhabitants
of Canaan. To cite many proofs would divert our
attention too far from our principal design, let it
suflBce therefore to observe that we take the word
in our text in this general meaning.

But what crimes does tl^e Spirit of God include
in tlie word iniquity ? The iniquity of the Amorites
is not yet full. Here my brethren, a detail would
be horrid, for so great were the excesses of these

342 The Patience of God.

people, that we should in some sense, partake of
their crimes, by attempting to give an exact list of
them. So excessive was the idolatry of the Canaan-
ites, that they rendered the honors of supreme adora-
tion not only to the most mean, but even to the most
impure and infamous creatures. Their inhumanity
was so excessive that they sacrificed their own chil-
dren to their gods. And so monstrous was their sub-
version, not only of the laws of nature, but even of
the common irregularities of human nature, that a
vice, which must not be named, was openly practi-
sed : and, in short, so scandalous was the depravation
of religion and good manners, that Moses, after he
had given the Israelites laws against the most gross
idolatry, against incest, against beastiality, against that
other crime, which our dismal circumstances oblige
us to mention, in spite of so many reasons for- avoid-
ing it ; Moses, I say, after having forbidden all these
excesses to the Israelites, positively declares that
the Canaanites were guilty of them all: that the
earth was weary of such execrable monsters; and
that for these crimes, God had sent the Israelites to
destroy them. Dejile not yourselves, says he in the
book of Leviticus, xviii. 24, 25. (after an enumera-
tion of the most shameful vices that can be imagin-
ed) " Defile not yourselves in any of these things,
for in all these, the nations are defiled which I cast
out before you. Therefore I do visit the iniquity
thereof, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabi-
tants," ver. 30. And again in the twelfth chapter
of Deuteronomy, "Take heed to thyself, that thou
be not snared by following them, after that they be

The Patience of God. 343

destroyed from before thee, and that thou enquire

not saying, How did these nations

. . . . even so will I do likewise." Such were
the iniquities that God forbore to punish for many
ages, and at last punished with a severity, in appear-
ance contrary to liis equity : but there is nothing
astonishing in it to those who consult the foremen-
tioned maxim, that is, that it is equitable in God to
proportion the punishments of guilty nations to the
time granted for their repentance.

We observe lastly, th^at, though God in his infinite
mercy had determined to bear four hundred years
longer with nations, unworthy of his patience, there
was one sin excepted from this general goodness,
there was one of their iniquities that drew down tlie
most formidable preternatural punishments upon
those who committed it, and forced divine justice to
anticipate, by a swift vengeance, a punishment,
which, in other cases, was deferred for four whole
ages. 8t. Paul paints this iniquity in the most odi-
ous colours in the first of Romans, and it was con-
stantly punished with death by the Jews. Read
with a holy fear the nineteenth chapter of Genesis.
The inhabitants of the cities of the plain were pos-
sessed with a more than brutal madness. Two an-
gels in human forms are sent to deliver Lot from
the judgments which are about to destroy them.
Tl e amiable borrowed forms of these intelligences
strike the eyes of the inhabitants of Sodom, and ex-
cite their abominable propensities to sin. A crowd
of people, young and old, instantly surround the
house of Lot, in order to seize the celestial messen-

344 The Patience of God

gers, and to offer violence to them, and though they
are stricken blind they persist in feeling for doors
Avhich they cannot see. Sodom and Gomorrah, Ad-
ma and Zeboim, being inhabited by none but peo-
ple of this abominable kind, are all given up to the
vengeance due to their crimes. The Lord rained
Jire and brimstone from the Lord, Gen. xix. 24. The
brimstone enkindled penetrates so far into the veins
of bitumen, and other inflammable bodies of which
the ground is full, that it forms a lake, denominated
in scripture the dead sea ; and, to use the words of
an apocryphal writer, the naste land that smoketh,
and plants bearing fruit that never come to ripeness^
are even to this day a testimony of the wickedness of
the Jive cities. Wis. x. 7. In vain had Lot vexed
his righteous soul from day to day ; 2 Pet. ii. 8. In
vain had Abraham availed himself of all the inter-
est that piety gave him in the compassion of a mer-
ciful God; in vain had the abundance of his fervent
benevolence said, " Behold now, I have taken upon
me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and
ashes : \Yilt thou also destroy the righteous with
the wicked ? Peradventure there be fifty righteous
within the city; peradventure forty; peradven-
ture twenty ; peradventure ten :" Gen. xviii. 27, 23.
kc. The decree of divine vengeance must be exe-
cuted. Be ivise now therefore, O ye kings ; be in-
structed, ye judges of the earth. Ps. ii. 10. God grant
that ye may never know any thing more of these
terrible executions than what ye learn from the his-
tory just now related !

The Patience of Goi, 345

I return to my subject, except to that part of it
last mentioned, the sin of the cities of the plain.
The iniquities of the Canaanites were suffered for
more than four hundred years; so long would God
defer tlie destruction of the Amorites by Israel, be-
cause till then their iniquity would not have attain-
ed its heiglit. And why would he defer the destruc-
tion of these miserable people till their iniquities
should have attained their height? This, as we said
in the beginning, is the subject upon which we are
going to fix your attention. God exerciseth his
patience long toward the most wicked people, hav-
ing borne with the rebellion of ancestors, he bears
with the rebellion of their posterity, and whole ages
pass without visible punishment : but, at length, col-
lecting the rebellions of parents and children into
one point of vengeance, he poureth out his indigna-
tion on whole nations that have abused his patience ;
and, as I advanced before, and think it necessary to
repeat again, he proportioneth his vindictive visita-
tions to the length of time that had been granted to
avert them. / mill judge that nation whom thy de-
scendants shall serve, but it shall be in the four tu gene-
ration, because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet
full.

The remaining time with which ye condescend
yet to favour me, I shall employ in considering,

I. The nature of this economy.

II. The goodness and justice which characterise it.

III. The terrors that accompany it.

ly. The relation which it bears to our own dis-
mal circumstances.

VOL. I. 44

346 The Patience of God,

Let us consider, I. The nature of this economy.
Recollect an observation that hath been made by
most of those who have laid down rules to assist us
in reasoning justly. That is, that we are sometimes
to consider a nation in a moral light, as a person,
consisting of a body, a soul, and a duration of life.
All the people w ho compose this nation are consid-
ered as one body : the maxims which direct its con-
duct in peace or in w ar, in commerce or in religion,
constitute what we call the spirit, or soul of this bo-
dy. The ages of its continuance are considered as
the duration of its life. This parallel might be ea-
sily enlarged.

Upon this principle, we attribute to those w ho
compose a nation now, what, properly speaking,
agrees only with those who formerly composed it.
Thus we say that the same nation was delivered
from bondage in Egypt in the reign of Pharaoh,
which was delivered from slavery in Babylon in the
reign of Cyrus. In the same sense, Jesus Christ
tells the .Jews of his time, Moses gave you not that
bread from heaven, John vi. 32. not that the same
persons who had been delivered from Egypt were
delivered from Babylon ; nor that the Jews to whom
Moses had given manna in the desert were the same
to whom Jesus Christ gave bread from heaven : but
because the Jews who lived under the reign of Cy-
rus, and those who lived in the time of Pharaoh,
those who lived in the time of Moses, and those
who lived in the time of Jesus Christ, were consid-
ered as different parts of that moral body, called the
Jewish nation.

The Patience of God, 347

On this principle, (and this has a direct view to
onr subject) we attribute to this whole body, not
only those physical, but even those moral actions,
which belong only to one part of it. We ascribe
the praise, or the blame of an action to a nation,
though those who performed it have been dead ma-
ny ages. We say that the Romans, who had cour-
age to oppose even the shadow of tyranny under
their consuls, had the meanness to adore tyrants un-
der their emperors. And what is still more remark-
able, we consider that part of a nation which contin-
ues, responsible for the crimes of that which subsists
no more.

A passage in the gospel of St. Luke will clearly
illustrate our meaning. " W^o unto you : for ye
build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fa-
thers killed them; and ye say. If we had been in
the days of our fathers, we would not have been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Truly ye bear witness, that ye allow the deeds of
your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye
build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wis-
dom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles,
and some of them they shall slay and persecute :
that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed
from the foundation of the world, may be required
of this generation ; from the blood of Abel, unto
the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the
altar and the temple : verily I say unto you. It shall
be required of this generation," Luke xi. 47. Mat.
xxiii. 30.

34S The Patience of God.

We will not enquire now what Zacharias is here
spoken of. Interpreters are not agreed. Some say
it is the same person who is spoken of in the second
book of Chronicles, w4io was extraordinarily raised
up to stem that torrent of corruption with which the
Jews were carried away after the death of the high
priest .lehoiada, 2 Chron. xxiv. 20, 21. He succeed-
ed his father Jehoiada in his zeal, and fell a victim
for it, for he was stoned to death in the porch of
the temple, by those whom he endeavoured to re-
form. Others say that it is a Zacharias, mentioned
by the historian .Joseph us,* whose virtue rendered
him formidable to those mad-men, who are knoAvn
by the name of zealots ; they charged him unjustly
w^ith the most shocking crimes, and put him to death
as if he had actually committed them. A third
opinion is, that it is he w^hom we call one of the
lesser prophets. But, not to detain you on this sub-
ject which perhaps may not be easily determined,
we may observe in our Saviour's words the manner
of considering a nation as a moral person, w ho is
responsible at one time for crimes committed at an-
other, w^io hath been borne w^ith, but hath abused
that forbearance, and, at length, is punished both
for committing the crimes, and for abusing the for-
bearance that had been granted. " Yerily I say un-
to you, upon you shall come all the righteous blood
shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous
Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias, whom ye slew
between the temple and the altar."

* Bell. Jud. iv. 19.

The Patience of God, 349

The Amorites in my text must be considered, in
like manner, as a moral person, whose life God had
resolved, when he spoke to Abraham, to prolong
four hundred years; who, during that four liundred
years, would abuse his patience; and at last would
be punished for all the crimes which should be com-
mitted in that long period. And thai nation whom
they shall serve will I judge : But in the fourth gene-
ration they shall come hither again j for the iniquity
of the Amorites is not yet full. This is the nature
of this economy of Providence. We shall see, in
a second article, the perfections of God which shine
in it, and, in particular, that goodness, and that jus-
tice, which eminently characterise all his actions.

II. It is extremely easy to distinguish the good-
ness of this economy, and, as we are under a ne-
cessity of abridging our subject, we may safely
leave this article to your own meditation. To ex-
ercise patience four hundred years toward a people
who worshipped the most infamous creatures; a
people who sacrificed human victims; a people
abandoned to the most enormous crimes ; to defer
the extinction of such a people for four hundred
years, could only proceed from the goodness of
that God, who is long-suffering to us-ward, not wil-
ling that any should perish, hut that all should come
to repentance, 2 Pet. iii. 9.

It is more difficult to discover the justice of God in
this economy. What ! the Jews, Avho lived in the
time of Jesus Christ, could they be justly punished
for murders committed so many ages before their
biiih? What! Could they be responsible for the

350- The Patience of God,

blood of the prophets, in which their hands had never
been imbrued 1 What ! Could God demand an ac-
count of all this blood of them ? How ! The Canaan-
ites of Joshua's lime, ought they to be punished for
all the abominations of four himdred years ? What !
Ought we to terrify you to-day, not only with your
own sins, but with all those that have been commit-
ted in your provinces from the moment of their first
settlement ?

I answer, If that part of a nation which subsists in
one period hath no union of time with that which
subsisted in another period, it may have an union of
another kind, it may have even four different unions,
any one of Avhich is sufficient to justify Providence :
there is an union of interest ; an union of approbation ;
an union of emulation ; and (if ye will allow the ex-
pression) an union of accumulation. An union of
interest, if it avail itself of the crimes of its prede-
cessors ; an union of approbation, if it applaud the
sliameful causes of its prosperity ; an union of einu-
lation, if it follow such examples as ought to be de-
tested ; an union of accumulation, if, instead of mak-
ing amends for these faults, it reward the depravity
of those who commit them. In all these cases, God
inviolably maintains the laws of his justice, when he
uniteth in one point of vengeance the crimes which a
nation is committing now with those which were com-
mitted many ages before, and poureth out those judg-
ments on the part that remains, which that had de-
served Avho had lived many ages ago. Yes, if men
peaceably enjoy the usurpations of their ancestors,
they are usurpers, as their predecessors were, and

The Palitnce of God, 351

the justice of God may make these responsible for
the usurpations of those. Thus it was >vitli the Jews,
who lived in the time of Jesus Christ : Thus it was
w ith the Amorites who lived four hundred years af-
ter those of whom God spake to Abraham : and thus
we must expect it to be with us, for we also shall
deserve the punisliments due to our ancestors, if we
have any one of the unions with them which hath
been mentioned. Your meditation will supply what
is wanting to this article.

It sometimes falls out in this economy, that the in-
nocent suffer while the guilty escape : But neither
this, nor any other inconvenience that may attend
this economy, is to be compared with the advanta-
ges of it. The obligation of a citizen to submit to
the decision of an ignorant, or a corrupt judge, is
an inconvenience in society : however, tliis incon-
venience ought not to free other men from submit-
ting to decisions at law ; because the benefits that
society derive from a judicial mode of decision, will
exceed, beyond all comparison, the evils that may
attend a perversion of justice in a very few cases.
Society would be in continual confusion, were the
members of it allowed sometin^es to resist the deci-
sions of their lawful judges. Private disputes would
never end ; public quarrels would be eternal; and
the administration of justice would be futile and use-
less.

Beside, Providence hath numberless ways of rem-
edying the inconveniences of this just economy, and
of indemnifying all those innocent persons who may
be involved in punishments due to the guilty. If,

352 The Patience of God,

when God sendeth fruitful seasons to a nation to re-
ward their good use of tlie fruits of the earth, an in-
diAddual destitute of viilue, reap the benefit of those
who are viilueus, an infinitely wise Providence can
find ways to poison all his pleasures, and to prevent
his enjoyment of the prosperity of the just. If an
innocent person be involved in a national calamity, an
infinitely wise Providence knows how to indemnify
him for all that he may sacrifice to that justice which
requires that a notoriously wicked nation should be-
come a notorious example of God's abhorrence of
wickedness.

Having established these principles, let us apply
them to the words of Jesus Christ, which were just
now quoted, and to the text.

The Jewish nation, considered in the just light of a
moral person, was guilty of an innumerable multi-
tude of the most atrocious crimes. It had not only
not profited by the earnest exhortations of those ex-
traordinary men, whom heaven had raised up to rec-
tify its mistakes, and to reform its morals : but it
had risen up against them as enemiesof society, who
came to trouble the peace of mankind. When they
had the courage faithfully to reprove the excesses of
its princes, they were accused of opposing the regal
authority itself; when Ihey ventured to attack er-
rors, that were in credit with the ministers of reli-
gion, they were taxed with resisting religion it-
self; and, under these pretences, they were frequent-
ly put to death. Witness the prophets Isaiah and
Jeremiah, the apostle St. James, and Jesus Christ
himself.

The Patience of God. 353

God had often exhorted that nation to repent, and
had urfi^ed tlie most tender and the most terrible mo-
tives to repentance : one while he loaded it with be-
nefits, another while he threatened it with punish-
ments. Sometimes he supported the autliority of
his messages by national judgments ; sermons were
legible by lightning, and thunder procured atten-
tion, doctrines were reiterated by pestilence and fa-
mine, and exhortations were re-echoed by banish-
ment and war. All these means had been ineffectu-
al ; if they had produced any alteration, it had been
only an apparent or a momentary change, which
had vanished with the violent means that produced
it. The .Jewish nation was always the same ; always
a stiff-necked nation ; alw ays inimical to truth, and
infatuated with falsehood ; always averse to reproof,
and athirst for the blood of its propliets. What the
Jews were in the times of the prophets, that tliey
were in the times of Jesus Christ and his apostles ;
they were full as barbarous to Jesus Christ as to
Zechariah the son of Barachiah.

A time must come in which divine justice ought to
prevent the fatal consequences of a longer forbear-
ance ; a time in which the whole world must be con-
vinced that God's toleration of sinners is no appro-
bation of sin ; a time when general vengeance must
justify Providence, by rendering to all ti e due re-
ward of their deeds. Such a time was at hand when
Jesus Christ spoke to the Jews ; and, foreseeing the
miseries that would overwhelm .ludea, he told them
that God would require an account, not only of the
blood of all the prophets which they had spilt, but

TOL. I. 45

354 The Patience of God,

of all the murders that had been committed on the
earth from the death of Abel to the slaughter of
Zechariah.

Thus it was with the Amorites : and thus it will
be with your provinces, if ye avail yourselves of the
crimes of your predecessors, if ye extenuate tlie
guilt, if ye imitate the practice, if ye fill up the
measure of their iniquities; then divine justice, col-
lecting into one point of vengeance all the crimes
of the nation, will inflict punishments proportional
to the time that was granted to avert them. Thus
we have sufficiently proved the justice of this econ-
omy.

III. Let us remark the terrors that accompany this
dispensation. But where can we find expressions
sufficiently sad, or images sufficiently shocking and
gloomy to describe those terrible times ? The soul
of Moses dissolved in considering them; "by thy
wrath we are troubled ; thou hast set our iniquities
before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy coun-
tenance," Psal. xc. 7, 8. Every thing that assuag-
eth the anger of the Judge of the w orld is useless
here. The exercise of prayer, that exercise which
sinners have sometimes used with success to the sus-
pending of the anger of God, to the holding of his
avenging arm, and to the disarming him of his
vindictive rod, that exercise hath lost all its efficacy
and power; God "covereth himself w^ith a cloud
that prayer cannot pass through," Lam. iii. 44. The
intercession of venerable men, who have sometimes
stood in the breach, and turned away his wrath, can-
not be admitted now ; " though Moses and Samuel

The Patience of God. 355

stood before God, yet his mind could not be toward
this people," Jer. xv. 1. Those sanctuaries which have
been consecrated to divine worship, and which have so
often afforded refufijes in times of danger, have lost
their noble privilege, and are themselves involved
in the direful calamity ; " The Lord casteth off his
altar, abhorreth his sanctuary, giveth up into the
hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces, and
they make a noise in tlie house of the Lord as in
the day of a solemn feast," Lam. ii. 7, The cries
of children which have sometimes melted down the
hearts of the most inflexible enemies, those cries
cannot now excite the mercy of God, the innocent
creatures' themselves fall victims to his displeasure;
" the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city,
they say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine ?
The hands of pitiful women seethe their own chil-
dren, they are their meat in the destruction of the
daughter of my people," Lam. ii. 12. iv. 10. The
treasures of grace which have been so often opened
to sinners, and from which they have derived con-
verting power, in order to free them from the exe-
cutions of justice, these treasures are now quite ex-
hausted ; God saith, " I will command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon my vineyard : Go, make
the heart of this people fat, and make their ears hea-
vy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their
eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with
their hearts, and convert, and be healed," Isa. v. 6.
vi. 9, 10. O God! thou consuming fire! O God,
" to whom vengeance belongeth, how fearful a
ihim is it to fall into thy hands !" Deut. iv. 24. P?aL

356 The Patience of God,

xciv. 1. How dreadful are thy footsteps, when, in
the cool fierceness of thine indignation, thou com-
est to fall upon a sinner! " The blood of all the
prophets, which was shed from the foundation of
the world, shall be required of this ^enerati^m :
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zecliarias;
verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this
generation," Heb. x. 31.

IV. To conclude. We have proved that there is
a fatal period, in which God will unite the sins of a
nation in one point of vengeance, and will proportion
the punishments, Avhich he used to exterminate them,
to the length of time that he had granted for prevent-
ing them. And from this principle, which Avill be the
gi'ound of our exhortations in the close of this dis-
course, I infer, that as there is a particular repent-
ance imposed on every member of society, so there
is a national repentance, which regards all who com-
pose a nation. The repentance of an individual dotji
not consist in merely asking pardon for his sins, and
in endeavouring to correct the bad habits that he had
formed ; but it requires also, that the sinner should
go back to his first years, remember, as far as he can,
the sins that defiled his youth, lament every period
of his existence, which, having been signalized by
some divine favour, was also signalized by some marks
of ingratitude ; it requireth him to say, under a sor-
rowful sense of having offended a kind and tender
God, " I was stiapen in iniquity : and in sin did my
mother conceive me. O Lord, remember not the
sins of my youth. Wilt thou break a leaf driven to
and fro ? Wilt thou piu:sue the dry stubble ? Thou

The Patience of God. 357

makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth !"
Psal. li. 5. Job xiii. 25, 26. In like manner, the re-
pentance of a nation doth not consist in a bare atten-
tion to present disorders, and to the hixury that now
cry to the Judg^e of the world for vengeance : but it
requheth us to go back to the times of our ancestors,
and to examine whether we be now enjoying the wa-
ges of their umighteousness, and whether, while we
flatter ourselves with the opinion, that we have not
committed their vices, we be not now relishing pro-
ductions of them. Without this we shall be respon-
sible for the very vices which they committed, though
time had almost blotted out the remembrance of them;
and the justice of God tliieatened to involve us in the
same punishments : " The blood of all the prophets,
which was shed from the foundation of the world,
shall be required of this generation : from the blood
of Abel to the blood of Zecharias : verily I say un-
to you, it shall be required of this generation."

Dreadful thought ! my brethren. A thought that
may very justly disturb that shameful security, into
which our nation is sunk. I tremble, when I think
of some disorders, which my eyes have seen during
the course of my ministry among you. I do not mean
llie sins of individuals, which would fill a long and a
very mortifying list : I mean public sins, committed
in the face of the sun ; maxims, received, in a man-
ner, by church and state, and which loudly cry to
heaven for vengeance against this republic. In these
degenerate times, I iiave seen immorality and infi-
delity authorised by a connivance at scandalous books,
which are intended to destroy the distinctions of vice

358 The Palience of God.

and virtue, and to make the difference between just
and unjust appear a mere chimera. In these degen-
erate days, I have seen the oppressed church cry in
vain for succour for her children, while the reforma-
tion of the church was sacrificed to the policy of the
state. In this degenerate age, I have seen solemn
days insolently profaned by those, whom worldly
decency alone ought to have engaged to observe them.
In these days of depravity, I have seen hatred and
discord lodge among us, and labour in the untoward
work of reciprocal ruin. In these wretched times, I
have seen the spirit of intolerance unchained with all
its rage, and the very men, who incessantly exclaim
against the persecutions that have affected themselves,
turn persecutors of others : so that, at the close of a
religious exercise, men, who ought to have remem-
bered what they had heard, and to have applied it to
themselves, have been known to exercise their ingen-
uity in finding heresy in the sermon, in communica-
ting the same wicked industry to their families, and
to their children, and, under pretence of religion, in
preventing all the good effects that religious dis-
courses might have produced. In this degenerate

age.

But this shameful list is already too long. Doth
this nation repent of its past sins ? Doth it lament
the crimes of its ancestors ? Alas ! far from repent-
ing of our past sins, far from lamenting the crimes
of our ancestors, doth not the least attention per-
ceive new and more shocking excesses ? The wretch-
ed age in which Providence hath placed us, doth it
not seem to have taken that for its model, against

The Patience oj God, 359

which God displayed his vens;eance, as we have
been describing in this discourse ? Were Sodom and
Gomorrah, AdmahandZeboim destroyed by fire from
heaven for sins unknown to us ? And God knows,
God only knows, what dreadful discoveries the for-
midable but pious vigilance of our magistrates may
still make. O God, " Behold now I have taken up-
on me to speak unto thee, altliough I am but dust
and ashes. Wilt thou also destroy the righteous
with the wicked ? peradventure there be fifty right-
eous among us ? peradventure forty ? peradventure
thirty ? peradventure twenty ? peradventure ten ?"
Gen. xviii. 25, &c.

My brethren, God yet bears with you, but how
long he will bear with you, who can tell ? And do
not deceive yourselves, his forbearance must pro-
duce, in the end, either your conversion or your de-
struction. The Lord grant it may produce your
conversion, and so iniquity shall not he your ruin^
Ezek. xviii. 30. Amen.

SERMON XI.

The Lorig-Siiffering of God with Lidividucds,

EccLESiASTES viii. 11, 12.

Because sentence against an evil work is not excctifed

speedih/, therefore the heart of the sons of men is

fully set in them to do evil. For the sinner doth

evil an hundred times, and God prolongeth his

dajs.^

JL HE wise man points out, in the words of the
text, one general cause of the impenitence of man*
kind. The disposition to which he attributes it, I
own, seems shocking, and ahuost incredible : but if
we examine our deceitful and desperately wicked
hearts, Jer. xvii. 9. we shall find, that this disposi-
tion, which, at first sight, seems so shocking, is one
of those, with which we are too well acquainted.
'* The heart of the sons of men is fully set to do
evil." Why ? " Because sentence against an evil
work is not executed speedily."

This shameful, but too common, inclination, we
wuU endeavour to expose, and to shew you that the
long-suffering, which the mercy of God grants to
sinners, may be abused either in the disposition of

* We have followed the reading of the French Bible in this pas-
sage.

VOL. T. 46

362 The Lotig'Suffering of

a devil, or in that of a beast, or in that of a philoso-
pher, or in that of a man.

He, who devotes his health, his prosperity, and
his youth, to offend God, and, while his punish-
ment is deferred, to invent new ways of blasphem-
ing him ; he, who followeth such a shameful course
of life, abuseth the patience of God in the disposi-
tion of a devil.

He, who enervates and impairs his reason, either
by excessive debauchery, or by worldly dissipations,
by an effeminate luxury, or by an inactive stupidi-
ty, and pays no regard to the great end for which
God permits him to live in this world, abuseth the
patience of God in the disposition of a beast.

He, who from the long-suffering of God infers
consequences against his providence, and against his
hatred of sin, is in the disposition, of which my text
speaks, as a philosopher.

He, who concludes because the patience of God
hath continued to this day that it will always con-
tinue, and makes such a hope a motive to persist in
sin without repentance or remorse, abuseth the pa-
tience of God in the disposition of a jnan. As I
shall point out these principles to you, I shall shew
you the injustice and extravagance of them.

I. To devote health, prosperity, and youth, to of-
fend God, and to invent new ways of blaspheming
him, while the punishment of him who leads such a
shameful life is deferred, is to abuse the long-suffer-
ing of God like a devil.

The majesty of this place, the holiness of my min-
istry, and the delicacy of my hearers, forbid preci-

God with Individuals. 363

sion on this article, for there would be a shocking
impropriety in exhibiting a well-drawn portrait of
such a man. But, if it is criminal to relate such ex-
cesses, what must it be to commit them? It is but
too certain, however, that nature sometimes produ-
ce! h such infernal creatures, who, with the bodies of
men, have the sentiments of devils. Thanks be to
God, the characters, which belong to this article, must
be taken from other countries, though not from an-
cient history.

I speak of those abominable men, to whom liv-
ing and moving would be intolerable, were they to
pass one day without insulting the author of their
life and motion. The grand design of all their ac-
tions is to break down every boundary, that either
modesty, probity, or even a corrupt and irregular
conscience hath set to licentiousness. They bitter-
ly lament the paucity of the ways of violating their
Creators laws, and they employ all the power of
their wit, the play of their fancy, and the fire of
their youth, to supply the want. Like that impious
king, of whom the scripture speaks, Dan. v. 2. they
carouse with the sacred vessels, and them they pro-
fanely abuse in their festivity : them did I say ? The
most solemn truths, and the most venerable myste-
ries of religion, they take into their polluted mouths,
and display their infidelity and impurity in ridicul-
ing them. They hurry away a life, which is be-
come insipid to them, because they have exhausted
all resources of blasphemy against God, and they
hasten to hell to learn others of the infernal spirits,
their patterns and their protectors.

364 The Long-suffering of

Let us throw a vail, my brethren, over these
abominations, and let us turn away our eyes from
objects so shameful to human nature. But how
comes it to pass, that rational creatures, having
ideas of right and wrong, arrive at such a subver-
sion of reason, and such a degree of corru[)tion, as
to be pleased with a course of life, which carries its
pains and punishments with it ?

Sometimes this phenomenon must be attributed to
a vicious education. We seldom pay a sufficient
regard to the influence that education hath over the
whole life. We often entertain false, and oftener
still inadequate notions of what is called a good ed-
2ication. We have given, it is generally thought, a
good education to a youth, when we have taught
him an art, or trained him up in a science ; when
we have instructed liim how to arrange a few dry
words in bis head, or a few crude notions in his fan-
cy ; and we are highly satisfied when we have intrust-
ed the cultivaiijii of his tender heart to a man of
probity. We forget that the venom of sin impreg-
nates the air that he breathes, and communicates it-
self to him by all that he sees, and by all that he
hears. If we vvould give young people a good edu-
cation, we must forbid them all acquaintance with
those who do not delight in decency and piety : we
must never suffer them to hear debauchery and im-
piety spoken of without detestation: we must fur-
nish them with precautions previous to their travels,
in which, under pretence of acquainting themselves
with the manners of foreigners, they too often adopt
nothing but their vices: we must banish from our

God with Individuals. 365

universities those shocking irregularities, and anni-
hilate those dangerous privileges, which make the
means of education the very causes of corruption
and ruin.

Sometimes these excesses are owing to the conni-
vance, or the countenance of princes. We have nev-
er more reason to predict the destruction of a state
than when the reins of government are committed to
jnen of a certain character. It Avill require ages to
heal the wounds of one impious reign. An iireli-
gious reign emboldens vice, and muhiplies infamous
places for the commission of it. In an UTeligious
reign scandalous books are published, and it becomes
fashionable to question whether there be a God in
heaven, or any real difference between virtue and
vice on earth. In the space of an irreligious reign
offices are held by imworthy persons, who either
abolish, or suffer to languish, the laws that policy
liad provided against impiety. Histories, more re-
cent than those of Tiberius and Nero, would too ful-
ly exemplify our observations, were not the majesty
of princes, in some sort, respectable, even after they
arc no more.

Sometimes these excesses, which offer violence to
nature, are caused by a gratification of those which
are agreeable to the corruption of nature. Ordinary
sins become insipid by habit, and sinners are forced,
having arrived at some periods of corruption, to en-
deavour to satisfy their execrable propensities by
the comiuission of those crim.es, which once made
them shudder with horror.

366 The Long-suffering of

To all these reasons add the judgment of divine
Providence; for God giveth those up to itnckanness,
Rom. i. 24. who have made no use of tJie means of
instruction and piety which he had afforded them.

I repeat my thanksgivings to God, the protector
of these states, that among our youth, (thou,«:h, alas !
so far from that piety which persons, dedicated to
God by baptism, ought to possess) we have none of
this character. Indeed, had we such a monster
among us, we should neither oppose bim by private
advice nor by public preaching : but we should
think that the arm of the secular magistrate was a
likelier mean of repulsing him than the decision of a
casuist. Let none be offended at tins. Our ministry
is a ministry of compassion, I grant ; and we are
i=«ent by a master who willeth not the death of a sin-
ner : but, if we thought that compassion obliged us
on any occasions to implore your clemency, my
Lords, for some malefactors, whom your wise laws,
and the safety of society, condemn to die, we would
rather intercede for assassins, and highway robbers,
yea for those miserable wretches, whose execrable
avarice tempts them to import infected commodities,
which expose our own and our children's lives to the
plague ; for these we would rather intercede, than
for those, whose dreadful examples are capable of
infecting the minds of our cliildren with infernal
maxims, and of rendering these piovinces like Sodom
and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, first by involv-
ing them in the guilt, and then in the fiery punish-
ment of those detestable cities.

God with Individuals. 367

Where the sword of tlie maj^istrate doth not pun-
ish, that of divine ven2:eance will : but, as it would
be difficult for imagination to conceive the greatness
of tlie punishments tliat await such sinners, it is need-
less to adduce the reasons of them. Our first notions
of God are vindictive to such, and as soon as we are
convinced that there is a just God, the day appears
in which, falling upon lliese unworthy men, he will
address them in this thundering language : Depart,
depart, into tlie source of your pleasures ; depart in-
to everlasting Ji re with all your associates; do for
ever and ever what ye have been doing in your life-
time ; having exhausted my patience, experience the
power of my anger ; and as ye have had the disposi-
tions of devils, suffer for ever the punishments pre-
pared for the devil and his angels, JVIat. xxv. 41.

II. A man may be in the disposition, of which the
wise man speaks in the text, through stupidity and
indolence, and this second state confounds the man
with the hcast. There is nothing hyperbolical in
this proposition. What makes tl e difference be-
tween a man and a beast ? These are the distinguish-
ing characters of each. The one is confined to a
short duration, and to a narrow circle of present
objects ; i\\e other hath received of his Creator the
power of going beyond time, and of penetrating
by his meditation into remote futurity, yea even
into an endless eternity. The one is actuated only
by sensual appetites ; the other hath the faculty of
rectifying his senses by the ideas of his mind. The
one is carried away by the heat of his tempeiament ;
the other hath the power of cooling temperament

368 The Long-guff'ering of

with reflection. The one knows no argument nor
motive but sensation ; the other hath the power of
making motives of sensation yield to the more noble
and permanent motives of interest. To imitate the
first kind of these creatures, is to live like a beast;
to follow the second, is to live like a man.

Let us apply this general truth to the particular
subject in hand, and let us justify what we have ad-
vanced, that there is nothing hyperbolical in this
proposition. If there be a subject that merits the
attention of an intelligent soul, it is the long-suffer-
ing of God: And if there be a case, in which an in-
telligent creature ought to use the faculty, that his
Creator hath given him of going beyond the circle
of present objects, of rectifying the actions of his
senses by the ideas of his mind, and of correcting
his temperament by reflection, it is certainly the
case of that sinner with whom God hath borne so
long.

Miserable man ! ought he to say to himself, I
have committed, not only those sins, which ordina-
rily belong to the frailty and depravity of mankind,
but those also which are a shame to human nature,
and which suppose that he who is guilty of them
Lath carried his corruption to the highest pitch! O
miserable man ! I have committed not only one of
the sins, which the scripture saith, deprive those who
commit them o^ inheriting the kingdom of God, 1 Cor.
vi. 10. but I have lived many years in the practice
of such sins; in the impurity of effeminacy and
adultery, in the possession of unjust gain, in the
gloomy revolutions of implacable hatred! Misera-

God with Individuals, 369

ble nian ! I have abused, not only the ordinary means
of conversion, but also those extraordinary means,
which God grants only to a few, and which he seems
to have displayed on purpose to shew liow far a God
of loA'e can carry his love ! Miserable man ! I was
not only engaged as a man and a professor of Chris-
tianity to give an example of piety, but I was also
engaged to do it as a minister, as a magistrate, as a
parent; yet, in spite of all my unworthiness, God
hath borne with me, and hath preserved me in this
world, not only while prosperity was universal, but
while calamities were almost general, while the
sword was glutting itself with blood, while the de-
stroying angel was exterminating on every side, as
if he intended to make the whole world one vast
grave ! All this time God hath been showering his
blessings upon me ! upon me the chief of sinners !
me his declared enemy ! blessings that he promised
to bestow as privileges on his favourites only ! /
dwelt in the secret place of the Most High, I abode
under the shadow of the Almighty I Psal. xci. 1.

I ask, my brethren, whether if there be a state in
which an intelligent creature ought to meditate and
reflect, it be not the state of the sinner ? If I prove
then, that there are men in this state, who neither
think nor reflect, because they confine their atten-
tion to the circle of present objects, abandon them-
selves wholly to sensuality, and give themselves up
entirely to their constitutional vices; shall I not
have proved that there are men, who like beasts are
indifferent to the riches of the forbearance and long-
suffering of God ? Rom. ii. 4. But where shall we

VOL. I. 47

370 The Long-suffering of

find such people ? Shall we search for them in fa-
bulous history, or look for them in ancient chroni-
cles? Slmll we quote the relations of those travel-
lers, wIjo seem to aim less at instructing^ us by pub-
lishinoj true accounts, than at astonishing us by re-
portinor uncommon events? Alas! Alas! my dear
biethren, I fear I have tern too confident, and had
not sufficiently propoitioned my strength to my
courage, when I engaged at tie beginning of this
discourse to confront certain portraits with the

countenances of some of my hearers ,

But, no, the truth ought not to suffer
through the frailty of him whose office it is to pub-
lish it.

Tell us then, what distinguisheth the man from
the beast, in that worshipper of Mammon, who hav-
ing spent his life in amassing and hoarding up
wealth, in taxing the widow, the orphan, and the
ward, to satiate his avarice ; having defrauded the
state, deceived his correspondents, and betrayed his
tenderest friends; having accumulated heaps upon
heaps, and having only a few days respite, which
Providence hath granted him for the repentance of
his sins, and the restitution of his iniquitous gains ;
employs these last moments in offering incense to his
idol, spends his last breath in enlarging his income,
in lessening his expenses, and in endeavouring to
gratify that insatiable desire of getting which gnaws
and devours him ?

Tell us what distinguisheth the man from the beast,
in that old debauchee, who thinks of nothing but vo-
luptuousness ; who to sensuality sacrificeth his time,

God with Individuals, 371

his foi-tune, his reputation, his health, his soul, his
salv^ation, alonoj with all his pretensions to iinniortal-
ity ; and wlio would willingly comprehend the whole
of man in this definition, a being capable of wallow-
ing in voluptuousness?

Tell us what distinguisheth the man from the beast,
in that man, who not l^eing able to bear the remorse
of his OAvn conscience, nor the idea of the vanity of
this world, to which he is wholly devoted ; drowns
his reason in wine, gives himself up to alt the exces-
ses of drunkenness, exposeth himself to the dan-
ger of committing some bloody murder, or of per-
ishing by some tragical death, of which we have
too many melancholy examples ; not only unfits him-
self for repenting now, but even renders himself in-
capable of repenting at all ? What is a penitent re-
conciliation to God ? It includes, at least reflection
^nd thought, the laying down of principles and the
deducing of consequences : but people of this kind,
Ihrough their excessive intoxication, generally inca-
pacitate themselves for inferring a consequence, or
admitting a principle, and even for reflecting and
t! inking ; as experience, experience superior to all
our reasoning, hath many a time shewn.

But is it necessary to reason in order to discover
the injustice of this disposition ? Do ye really think
that God created you capable of reflection that ye
should never reflect ? Do ye indeed believe that God
gave you so many fine faculties that ye should make
no use of these faculties ? In a word, can ye serious-
ly thiiik that God made you men in order to enable
you to live like beasts ?

372 The Long-suffering of

III. I said, in the third place, that the disposition
of which the wise man speaks in tlie text, sometimes
proceeds from a principle of grave folly. So I call
the principle of some philosophers, who imagine
that they find in the delay of the pimisliment of sin-
ners, an invincible argmiient against the existence of
God, at least against the infinity of his perfections.

We do not mean by a philosopher, that superficial
triiler, who not having the least notion of right rea-
soning, takes the liberty sometimes of pretending to
reason, and with an air of superiority, which might
impose on us were we to be imposed on by a tone,
saith, " The learned maintain such an opinion : but 1
affirm the opposite opinion. Casuists advance such
a maxim : but I lay down a very different maxim.
Pastors hold such a system ; but, for my part, I
hold altogether another system." And who is he
who talks in this decisive tone, and who alone pre-
tends to contradict all our ministers, and all our
learned men; the whole church, and the whole
school ? It is sometimes a man, whose whole science
consists in the casting up of a sum. It is sometimes
a man, who hath spent all his life in exercises, that
have not the least relation to the subject which he
so arrogantly decides ; and who thinks, if I may be
allowed to say so, that arguments are to be com-
manded as he commands a regiment of soldiers. In
a word, they are men, for the most part, who know
neither what a system, nor a maxim is. Let not
such people imagine that they are addressed as
philosophers ; for we cannot address them without

God with Individaals, 373

repealing wliat Lath been said in the preceding arti-
cle, which is tlieir proper place.

We mean, wlien we speak of men who despise
the long-sufiering of God as philosophers, people who
have taken as much pains to arrive at infidelity, as
they ought to have taken to obtain tlie knowledge
of the truth : who have studied as much to palliate
error, as they ought to have studied to expose it:
who have gone through as long a course of reading
and meditation to deprave their liearts as they
ought to have undertaken to preserve tbem from
depravity. Among the sophisms which they have
adopted, that which they have derived from the de-
lay of the punishment of sinners, hath appeared the
most tenable, and they have occupied it as their fort.
Sophisms of this kind are not new, they have been
repeated in all ages, and in every age there have
been such as Celius, (this is the name of an ancient
atheist) of whom a heathen poet saith, Celius says
that there are no Gods, and that heaven is an uninhab-
ited place j and these are the chief reasons that he
assigns ; he continued happy, and he had the pros-
pect of continuing so, while he denied the existence
of God.

As the persons, to w horn we address this article,
profess to reason, let us reason with them. And ye,
my brethren, endeavour to attend a few moments to
our arguments. One chief cause of our erroneous
notions of the perfections of God, is the considering
of them separately, and not in their admirable as-
sortment and beautiful harmony. When we medi-
cate on the goodness of God, we consider bis good-

^74 The Long-suffenng of

ness alone and not in harmony with his justice.
When we meditate on his justice, we consider it in
an abstract view, and without any relation to his
goodness. And in the same manner we consider
his wisdom, his power, and his other attributes.

This restriction of meditation (I think I may ven-
ture to call it so) is a source of sophistry. If we
consider Supreme justice in this manner, it will
seem as if it ought to exterminate every sinner : and
on the contrary, if we consider Supreme goodness
in this manner, it will seem as if it ouglit to spare
every sinner ; to succour all the afflicted ; to pre-
vent every degree of distress ; and to gratify every
wish of every creature capable of wishing. We
might observe the same of power, and of wisdom,
and of every other perfection of God. But what
shocking consequences would follow such views of
the divine attributes! As we should never be able
to prove such a justice, or such a goodness as we
have imagined, we should be obliged to infer, tiiat
God is not a Being supremely good ; that he is not
a Being supremely just ; and the same may be said
of his other perfections.

Persons who entertain such notions not only sink
the Supreme Being below the dignity of his own
nature, but even below that of mankind. Were we
to allow the reasoning of these people, we should
increase their difficulties by removing them, for tiie
argument would end in downright atheism. Were
we to allow the force of their objections I s^y, we
should increase their difficulties and instead of ob-
taining a solution of the difficulty which attends our

God with Individuals. 375

notions of a divine attribute, we should obtain a
proof that there is no God : for, could we prove
that there is a Bein^ supremely good, in their ab-
stract sense of goodness, we should thereby prove
that there is no Being supremely just; because su-
preme goodness, considered in tl:eir abstract man-
ner, destroys supreme justice. The same may be
said of all the other perfections of God, one per-
fection of the divine nature would destroy another,
and to prove that God possessed one would be to
prove that of the other his nature was quite desti-
tute.

Now, if there be a subject, my brethren, in which
people err by considering the perfections of God in
a detached and abstract manner, it is this of which
we are speaking ; it is when people raise objections
against the attributes of God from his forbearance
with sinners. God seems to act contrary to some of
his perfections in his forbearance. AYhy ? Because
the perfection, to which his conduct seems incongru-
ous, is considered as if it w^ere alone, and not as if
it were in relation to another perfection : because, as
I have already said, the divine attributes are consid-
ered abstractly and not in their beautiful assortment
and admirable hamiony.

I confine myself to this principle to refute the ob-
jections w^hich some, who are improperly called phi-
losophers, derive from the delay of the punishment
of sinners, to oppose to the perfections of God. I
do not, however, confine myself to this for want of
other solid answers : for example, I might prove that
the notion, which they form of those perfections, to

376 The Long-suffering of

which the delay of divine vengeance seems repug-
nant, is a false notion.

What are those perfections of God ? They are, ye
answer, hmth, which is interested in executing the
threatenings that are denounced against sinners: wis-
dom, which is interested in supplying means of re-
establishing order : and particularly justicey which is
interested in the punishing of the guilty.

I reply, your idea of truth is opposite to truth :
3'oiu- idea of wisdom is opposite to wisdom : your
idea of justice is opposite to justice.

Yes, the notion that ye entertain of tj^uth, is op-
posite to truth, and ye resemble those scoffers, of
whom the apostle speaks, who said, " Where is the
promise of his coming V What Jesus Christ had said
of St. John, " If I will that he tarry till I come,^
what is that to thee?" had occasioned a rumour
concernhig the near approach of the dissolution of
tlie w orld : but there was no appearance of the dis~
solution of the world : thence the scoffers, of Avhom
St. Peter speaks, concluded that God had not fulfil-
led his promise, and on this false supposition they
said, '* Where is the promise of his coming ?" Ap-
ply this reflection to yourselves. The delay of the
punishment of sinners, ye say, is opposite to the
truth of God : on the contrary, God hath declared
that he would not punish every sinner as soon as he
had committed an act cf sin. " The sinner doth evil
an hundred times, and God prolongeth his days."

The delay of the punishment of sinners, ye say,
is opposite to the wisdom of God : on the contrary,
it is this delay which provides for the execution of

God with Individuals. 377

that wise plan, which God hath made for man-
kind, of placing them for sometime in a state of pro-
bation in this world, and of re^^ulating their future
reward or punishment according to their use or abuse
of such a dispensation.

The delay of the punishment of sinners, ye say, is
repugnant to the justice of God. Quite the contrary.
What do ye call justice in God ? What ! Such an
impetuous emotion as that which animates you against
those who affront you, and whom ye consider as en-
emies ? An implacable madness, which enrageth you
to such a degree that a sight of all the miseries into
wdiich ye are going to involve them is not able to
curb ? Is this what ye call justice ?

But I suppress all these reflections, and return to
my principle, (and this is not the first time that we
have been obliged to proportion the length of a dis-
course, not to the nature of the subject, but to the
impatience of our hearers.) I return to my princi-
ple ; the delay of the punishment of sinners will not
seem incompatible with the justice of God unless ye
consider that perfection detached from another per-
fection, by which God in the most eminent manner
displays his glory, I mean his mercy. An explica-
tion of the last clause of our text, " the sinner doth
evil an hundred times, and God prolongeth his days,"
will place the matter in a clear light : for the long-
suffering of God with sinners flows from his mercy.
St. Peter confirms this when he tells us, " The Lord
is not slack concerning his promise, but is long-suf-
ering to us-ward, not willing that any should per-

ToL. I. 48

378 The Long-suffering of

ish, but that all should come to repentance," 2
Pet. iii. 9.

It is with the same view that Jesus Christ calls
the whole time, during which God delayed the de-
struction of Jerusalem, the time of the visitation of
that miserable city, Luke xix. 44. And for the
same reason Si, Paul calls the whole time, which
God puts between the commission of sin and tlie
destruction of sinners, riches of forbearance, and
long-suffering, that Itad to repentance, Rom. ii. 4.
And who could flatter himself with the hope of es-
caping devouring Jire, and everlasting burnings, Isa.
xxxiii. 14. were God to execute immediately his sen-
tence against evil works, and to make punishment
instantly follow the practice of sin ?

What would have become of David, if divine
mercy had not prolonged his days after he had fal-
len into the crimes of adultery and murder ; or if
justice had called him to give an account of his con-
duct, while his heart, burning with a criminal pas-
sion, was wishing only to gratify it ; while he w as
sacrificing the honour of a wife, the life of a hus-
band, along with his own body, which should have
been a temple of the Holy Ghost, to the criminal
passion that inflamed his soul ? It was the long-suf-
fering, the patience of God, that gave him time to
recover himself, to get rid of his infatuation, to see
the horror of his sin, and to say under a sense of it,
" Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy
loving kindness : according unto the multitude of
thy mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me
thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from

God with Individuals, 379

my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions : and
my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only
have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight : that
thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and
be clear when thou judgest," Ps. li. 1, 2, 3, 4.

What would have become of Manasseh, if God
bad called him to give him an account of his admin-
istration while he was making the house of God the
theatre of his dissoluteness and idolatry ; while he
was planting groves, rearing up altars for the host
of heaven, making his sons pass through the fire,
doing more wickedly than the Amorites, making
Judah to sin with his dunghill gods, as the Holy
Scriptme calls them ? It was the long-suflering of
God that bore with him, that engaged iiim to hum-
ble himself, to pray fervently to the God of his fa-
thers, and to become an exemplary convert, after
he had been an example of infidelity and impu-
rity.

What would have become of St. Peter, if God
had called him to give an account of himself, while,
frightened and subverted at the sight of the judges
and executioners of his Saviour, he was pronounc-
ing those cowardly words, / know not the man ? It
was the long-suffering and patience of God, that
gave him an opportunity of seeing the merciful
looks of Jesus Christ immediately after his denial
of him, of fleeing from a place fatal to his inno-
cence, of going out to weep bitterly, and of saying
to Jesus Christ, " Lord, thou knowest that I love
thee: Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest
that I love thee," John xxi. 16, 17.

380 The Long-suffering of

What would have become of St. Paul, if God had
required an account of his administration, while he
was " breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord," Acts ix. 1. while
he was ambitious of stifling the new born church in
her cradle, while he was soliciting letters from the
high priest lo pervert and to punish the disciples
of Christ ? It was the long-suffering of God, that
gave him an opportunity of saying, " Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do ?" Acts ix. 6. It was the
patience of God, which gave him an opportunity of
making that honest confession, " I was before a blas-
phemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: But I ob-
tained mercy," 1 Tim. i. 13.

IV. But why should we go out of this assembly,
(and here we enter into the last article, and shall
endeavour to prevent your abuse of the patience of
God in the dispositions of men,) why should we go
out of lliis assembly, to search after proofs of di-
vine mercy in a delay of punishment ? What would
have become of you, my dear hearers, if vengeance
had immediately followed sin ; if God had not pro-
longed the days of sinners ; if sentence against evil
works had been executed speedily ?

What would have become of some of you, if God
had required of you an account of your conduct,
while ye were sacrificing the rights of widows and
orphans to the honour of the persons of the mighty^
Lev. xix. 15. while ye were practising perjury and
accepting bribes ? It is the long-suffering of God
ihd^i prolongs your days, that ye may make a restitu-
tion of your unrighteous gain, plead for the orphan

God with Individuals, 381

and the widow, and attend in future decisions only
to the nature of tlie cause before you.

What would have become of some of you, if God
had called you to give an account of your conduct,
while the fear of persecution, or, what is infinitely
more criminal still, while the love of ease, prevail-
ed over you to renounce a religion which ye re-
spected in your hearts while ye denied with your
mouths ? It is the patience of God which hath af-
forded you time to learn the greatness of a sin, the
guilt of which a w hole life of repentance is not suf-
ficient to expiate : it is the patience of God which
hath prolonged your days, that ye might confess
that Jesus w hom ye have betrayed, and profess that
gospel which ye have denied.

Let us not multiply particular examples, let us
comprise this whole assembly in one class. There
is not one of our hearers, no, not one, who is in
this church to-day, there is not one who hath been
engaged in the devotional exercises of this day, who
would not have been in hell with the devil and his
angels, if vengeance had immediately followed sin ;
if God had exercised no patience toward sinners ;
if sentence against evil works liad been executed speed-
ily. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not con-
sumed! Lam. iii. 22. The delay of punishment is
a demonstration of his mercy; it doth not prove
that he is not just, but it doth prove that he is good.

I could wish, my brethren, that all those who
ought to interest themselves in this article, would
render it needless for me to enter into particulars,
by recollecting the history of their own lives, and

382 The Long-suffering of

by remembering the circumstances to which I re-
fer. One man ought to say to himself; In my
childhood, an upright father, a pious mother, and
several worthy tutors did all that lay in their power
to form me virtuous. In my youth, a tender and
generous friend, who was more concerned for my
happiness, and more ambitious of my excelling,
than I myself, availed himself of all the power of
insinuation that nature had given him to inclme
my heart to piety and to the fear of God, and to
attach me to religion by hands of love. On a cer-
tain occasion, Proiddence put into my hands a re-
ligious book, the reading of which discovered to
me the turpitude of my conduct. At another time,
one of those clear, affecting, thundering sermons,
that alarm sleepy souls, forced from me a promise
of repentance and reformation. One day, I saw
the administration of the Lord's supper, which,
awaking my attention to the grand sacrifice that di-
vine justice required for the sins of mankind, af-
fected me in a manner so powerful and moving,
that I thought myself obliged in gratitude to dedi-
cate my whole life to him, who in the tenderest
compassion had given himself for me. Another
time, an extremely painful illness shewed me the
absurdity of my course of life ; filled me with a
keenness of remorse, that seemed an anticipation of
hell ; put me on beseeching God to grant me a few
years more of his patience; and brought me to a so-
lemn adjuration that I would employ the remaining
part of my life in repairing the past. All these have
iDeen fruitless ; all these means have been useless ;

God 7vith Individuals. 383

all these promises have been false; and yet I may
have access to a throne of grace. What love!
What mercy!

This long-suffering of God with impenitent sin-
ners will be one of the most terrible subjects that
they can think of when the avenging moment
comes; when the fatal hour arrives in which the
voice of divine justice shall summon a miserable
wretch to appear, when it shall bind him to a
death-bed, and suspend him over the abyss of hell.

But to a poor sinner, who is awaking from his
sin, who, having consumed the greatest part of his
life in sin, would repair it by sacrificing the world
and all its glory, were such a sacrifice in his power :
to a poor sinner, who, having been for some time
afraid of an exclusion from the mercy of God, re-
volves these distressing thoughts in his mind. Per-
haps the days of my visitation may be at an end ;
henceforth perhaps my sorrows may be superfluous,
and my tears inadmissible: To such a sinner, what
an object, what a comfortable object, is the treasure
of the forbearance and long-suffering of God that
leadeth to repentance. My God, saith such a sinner,
/ am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies ! Gen.
xxxii. 10. My God, I am tempted to think that to
doubt of my interest in thy favour is the rendering
of a proper homage to thy mercy, and my unbelief
would arise from my veneration for tliy majesty !
But let me not think so ; I will not doubt of thy
mercy, my God, since thou hast condescended to
assure me of it in such a tender manner! I will lose
myself in that ocean of love v»hich thou, O God, in-

384 The Long-suffering of

finitely good ! still discoverest to me. I will persuade
myself that thou dost not despise the sacrifice of a
broken and contrite heart, and this persuasion I will
oppose to an alarmed conscience, to a fear of hell
that anticipates the misery of the state, and to all
those formidable executioners of condemned men,
whom I behold ready to seize their prey !

My brethren, the riches of the goodness and for-
bearance, and long-suffering of God, are yet open to
you : they are open, my dear brethren, to this
church, how^ ungrateful soever w^e have been to the
goodness of God ; how much insensibility soever
we have shewn to the invitations of grace: they are
open to the greatest sinners, nor is there one of my
hearers who may not be admitted to these inex-
haustible treasures of goodness and mercy.

But do ye still despise the riches of the long-suffer-
ing of God ? What ! because a space to repent, (Rev.
ii. 21.) is given, will ye continue in impenitence?
Ah ! were Jesus Christ in the flesh, were he walking
in your streets, were he now in this pulpit preach-
ing to you, would he not preach to you all bathed
in sorrows and tears ? He would w eep over you as
he once wept over Jerusalem, and he would say to
this province, to this town, to this church, to each
person in this assembly, yea to that wicked hearer,
who affects not to be concerned in this sermon, O
that "thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this
thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!"
Luke xix. 42. What am I saying ? he would say
thus ! He doth say thus, my dear brethren, and still
interests himself in your salvation in the tenderest

God with Individuals. 385

and most vehement manner. Sitting at the right
hand of his Father, he holds back that avenging arm
which is ready to fell us to the earth at a stroke ; in
our behalf he interposeth his sufferings and his
death, his intercession and his cross ; and from the
top of that glory to which he is elevated he looks
down and saith to this republic, to this church, to all
this assembly, and to every sinner in it : O that
"thou hadst known, €ven thou, at least in this thy
day, the things which belong unto thy peace !"

My brethren, the patience of God, which yet
endures, will not always endure. The year which
the master of the vineyard grants, at the intercession
of the dresser, to try whether a barren fig-tree can
be made fruitful, will expire, and then it must be cut
down, Luke xiii. 6. Do not deceive yourselves, my
brethren, the long-suffering of God must produce in
the end eitlier your conversion or your destruction.
O may it prevent your destruction by producing
your conversion ! The Lord grant you this favour!
To him, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be
honour and glory for evei\ Amen.

TOL, I. 49

SERMON XII.

God the only Object of Fear,

PART I.

Jeremiah x. 7.

Who would not fear thee, O King of nations ? For to
thee doth it appertain.

X HE prophet aims, in the words of the text, to in-
spiie us with fear, and the best way to understand
his meaning is to affix distinct ideas to the term.
To fear God is an equivocal phrase in all languages ;
it is generally used in three senses in the Holy Scrip-
tuves.

I. Fear sometimes signifies terror; a disposition,
that makes the soul consider itself only as sinful,
and God chiefly as a being who hateth and avengeth
sin. There are various degrees of this fear, and it
deserves either praise, or blame, according to the
different degree to wliich it is carried.

A man, whose heart is so void of the knowledge
of the perfections of God, that he cannot rise above
the little idols which worldlings adore ; whose no-
tions are so gross, that he cannot adhere to the pu-
rity of religion for purity's sake ; whose taste is so

388 God the only Object of Fear.

vitiated that he hath no relish for the delightful un-
ion of a faithful soul with its God ; such a man de-
serves to be praised, when he endeavoureth to re-
strain his sensuality by the idea of an avenging God»
The apostles urged this motive with success, know-
ing there/ore the terror of the Lord we persuade men,
2 Cor. V. ] 1. Of some have compassion, saith St. .lude
to the ministers of the gospel, making a difference;
and others sate ivith fear, jmlling them out of the
Jire, ver. 22, 23. Such a disposition is, without
doubt, very imperfect, and were a man to expect
salvation in this way, he would be in imminent dan-
ger of feeling those miseries of which he is afraid.
No casuists, except such as have been educated in
an infernal school, will venture to affirm, that to fear
God in this sense, without loving him, is sufficient
for salvation. JNevertheless, this disposition is al-
lowable in the beginning of a work of conversion,
it is never altogether useless to a regenerate man,
and it is of sinofular use to him in some violent
temptations, with which the enemy of his salvation
assaults him. When a tide of depravity threatens,
in spite of yourselves to carry you away, recollect
some of tlie titles of God ; the scripture calls him
the mighty, and the terrible God; the furious Lord ;
a consuming fire, Neh. ix. 32. Nah. i. 2. Heb. xii.
29. Remember the terrors that your own conscien-
ces felt, when they first awoke from the inchant-
ment of sin, and when they beheld, for the first
time, vice in its own colours. Meditate on that
dreadful abode, in which criminals suffer everlast-
ing pains for momentary pleasures. Tne fear of

God the only Object oj Fear. 389

God^ taken in this first sense, is a laudable disposi-
tion.

But it ceaseth to be laudable, it becomes detesta-
ble, when it goeth so far as to deprive a sinner of a
sight of all the gracious remedies which God hath
reserved for sinners. " I heard thy voice„ and I
was afraid, and I hid myself," Gen. iii. 10. said the
first man, after his fall : but it was because he tvas
naked, it was because he had lost the glory of his
primitive innocence, and must be obliged to pros-
trate himself before his God, to seek from his infi-
nite mercy the proper remedies for his maladies, to
pray to him, in whose image he had been first form-
ed. Gen. i. 26. to renerv him after the image of him that
created him. Col. iii. 10. and to ask him for raiment,
that the shame of his nakedness might not appear.
Rev. iii. 18. Despair should not dwell in the church,
hell should be its only abode. It should be left to
the devils to believe and tremble. Jam. ii. 19. Time is
an economy of hope, and only those, whom the day
of wrath overwhelmeth with horrible judgments,
have reason to cry " to the mountains and rocks.
Fall on us, and hide us from the wrath of the Lamb."
Rev. vi. 16. Too great a degree o^ fear, then, in
this first sense of fear, is a detestable disposition.

Fear is no less odious, when it giveth us tragical
descriptions of the riglits of God, and of his designs
on his creatures : when it maketh a tyrant of him,
whom the text calleth the king of nations. Rev. xix.
16. of him, who is elsewhere described as having on
his thigh the stately title of King of kings ; of him,
whose dominion is described as constituting the fell-

390 God the only Object of Fear.

dty of his subjects, " The Lord reigneth, let the
earth rejoice," Psa. xcvii. 1. Far be such descrip-
tions of God fiom us! They represent the Deity as
a merciless usurer, who requireth an account of tal-
ents that we have not received ; who requireth an-
gelical know^ledge of a human intelligence, or phi-
losophical penetration of an uninslructed peasant.
Far from us be those systems, which pretend to
prove, that God will judge the heathens by the same
laws by which he will judge the Jews, and that he
will judge those who lived under the law, as if they
had lived under the gospel ! Away with that fear of
God, Avhich is so injurious to his majesty, and so
unw^orthy of that throne, w hich is founded on equi-
ty ! What encouragement could I have to endeavor
to know what God hath been pleased to reveal to
mankind, were I prepossessed with an opinion, that,
after 1 had implored, with all the powers of my
soul, the help of God to guide me in seeking the
truth ; after I had laid aside the prejudices that dis-
guise it; after I had suspended, as far as I could, the
passions that deprave my understanding ; even af-
ter I had determined to sacrifice my rest, my for-
tune, my dignity, my life, to follow it; I might fall
into capital errors which would plunge me into ev-
erlasting woe ? No, no, we have not so learned Christ,
Eph. iv. 20. None but a refractory servant fears
God in this manner. It is only the refractory ser-
vant, who, to exculpate himself for neglecting what
was in his power, pretends to have thought that God
Vi^ould require more than was in his power: Lord,
^aith he, " I knew thee that thou art an hard man,

God the only Object of Fear. 391

reaping where thou hast not sown, and gatherincr
w^iere thou hast not strewed," Mat. xxv. 24. T knew I
And where didst fhou learn this? What infernal
body of divinity hast thou studied ? What demon
was thy tutor? Ah ! Thou art " a wicked servant,"
and, at the same time, " a slothful servant ;" sloth-
ful, ver. 26. not to form the just and noble resolu-
tion of improving the talent that I committed to
thee : wicked, to invent such an odious reason, and
to represent me in such dismal colours. " Thou
oughtest to have put my money to the exchangers,
and then! should have received mine own with usu-
ry," ver. 27. Thou oughtest to have improved tlmt
ray of light, with which I had enlightened thee, and
not to have forged an ideal God, who would require
that with which he had not intrusted thee. Thou
oughtest to have read the books that my providence
put into thy hands, and not to have imagined that I
would condemn thee for not having read those
which were concealed from thee. Thou oughtest
to have consulted those ministers, whom I had set
in my church, and not to have feared that I wouW
condemn thee for not having sat in conference
with angels and seraphims, with whom thou hadst
no intercourse. Thou hadst but one talent : thou
oughtest to have improved that one talent, and not
to have neglected it lest I should require four of
thee. " Thou wicked servant ! Thou slothful ser-
vant! Take the talent from him. Give it unto him
who hath ten talents," ver. 28.

These are the different ideas, which we ought to
form of that disposition of mind w hich is called fear

392 God Ihe only Ohjeci of Fear*

in this first sense. To fear God in this sense is to
have the soul filled with horror at the sight of his
judgments.

2. To fear God is a phrase still more equivocal,
and it is put for that disposition of mind, which in-
clines us to render to him all the worship that he i^e-
quires, to submit to all the laws that he imposeth, to
conceive all the emotions of admiration, devoted^
ness, and love, which tlie eminence of his perfections
demand. This is the usual meaning of the phrase.
By this Jonah described himself, even while he was
acting contrary to it, " I am an Hebrew, and I fear
the Lord the God of heaven," Jonah i. 9. In this
sense the phrase is to be understood when we are told
that " the fear of the Lord prolongeth days, is a
fountain of life, and preservetli from the snares of
death," Prov. x. 27. xiv. 27. And it is to be taken
in the same sense where " the fear of the Lord" is
said to be " the beginning of wisdom," Psal. cxL 10,
The fear of the Lord in all these passages includes
all the duties of religion. The last quoted passage
is quite mistaken, when the fear that is spoken of is
taken for terror : and a conclusion is drawn from
false premises when it is inferred from this passage
that fear is not sufficient for salvation. This false
reasoning, however, may be found in some systems
of morality. Terror, say they, may, indeed, make
a part of a course of wisdom, but it is only the be-
ginning of it, as it is said, " the fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom :" but, neither does fear
signify terror in tliis passage, nor does the beginning
mean a priority of time ; it means the principal point.

God the only Object of Fear. 393

" The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ;"
that is, the principal point ; that without whicli no
man is truly wise, that is, obedience to the laws of
religion, agreeably to the saying of the wise man,
" Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this
is the whole duty of man," Eccl. xiv. 1 3.

It seems needless to remark what idea we ought to
form of this fear: for, it is plain, the more a soul is
penetrated Avith it, the nearer it approacheth to per-
fection. It seems equally unnecessary to prove that
terror is a very diflerent disposition from this fear :
for, on the contrary, the most effectual mean of not
fearing God in the first sense is to fear him in the last.
" Fear not," said Moses formerly, " for God is come
to prove you, that his fear may be before your faces.
Fear not, that ye may fear ;" this is only a seeming
contradiction : The only way to prevent fear, that
is, horror, on account of the judgments of God, is
to have " his fear before your eyes," that is, such a
love, and such a deference for him, as religion re-
quires. Agreeably to this, it is elsewhere said, per-
fect love, (and perfect love, in this passage, is nothing
but the fear of which I am speaking) perfect love cast-
eth out fear ; that is, a horror on account of God's
judgments : for the more love we have for him, the
stronger assurance shall we enjoy, that his judgments
have nothing :n them dangerous to us.

3. But, beside these two notions of fear, there is
a third, which is more nearly allied to our text, a
notion that is neither so general as the last, nor so
panicular as the first. Fear, in this thii'd sense, is a
disposition, which considers hurr who is the object of

VOL. I. 50

394 God the only Object of Fear.

it as alone possessing all that can contribute to our
happiness or misery. Distinguish here a particular
from a general happiness. Every being around
us, by a wise disposal of Providence, hath some de-
gree of power to favour, or to hinder a particular
happiness. Every thing that can increase, or abate,
the motion of our bodies, may contribute to the ad-
vancement, or to th« diminution, of the particular
happiness of our bodies. Every thing that can elu-
cidate, or obscure the ideas of our minds, may con-
tribute to the particular happiness or misery of our
minds. Every thing that can procure to our souls
either a sensation of pleasure, or a sensation of pain,
may contribute to the particular happiness, or mis-
ery of our souls. But it is neither a particular hap-
piness, nor a particular misery, that we mean to
treat of now : We mean a genaral happiness. It
often happens, that, all th'ngs being considered, a
particular happines j, ccns'dered in the whole of our
felicity is a gene^ al misery : and, on the contrary,
it often happens, t'lat all iLings being considered,
a particular misery, in the v/hole of our felicity is a
general happiness. It was a particular misfortune
in the life of man to be forced to bear the ampu-
tation of a mortified arm : but weighing the whole
felicity of the life of the man, this particular misfor-
tune became a good, because had he not consented
to the aiuputation of the mortified limb, the mor-
tification would have been fatal to his life, and
would have deprived him of all felicity here. It
was a particular calamity, that a believer should
be called to suffer martyrdom: but in the whole

God the only Object of Fear. 395

felicity of llmt believer, martyrdom was a happiness,
yea, an inestimable happiness : by suffering tlie pain
of a few moments he hath escaped those eternal tor-
ments which would have attended his apostacy ; the
bearing of a light affliction, which was hut for a mo-
ment, hath wrought oid a far more exceeding and eter-
nal weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17.

Let us sum up these reliections. To consider a
being as capable of renc'^ring us happy or miserable,
in the general sense that we have given of the words
happiness and misery, is to fear that being, in the
thii'd sense which we have given to the term /ear.
This is the sense of the w^ord fear, in the text, and
in many other passages of the Floly Scriptures.
Thus Isaiah useth it, " Say ye not a confederacy, to
all them to w^iom this people shall say a confedera-
cy : neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanc-
tify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your
fear, and let him be your dread," ch. viii. 12, 13.
So again, " Who art thou, that thou shouldst be
afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man
that shall be made as grass?" ch. li. 12. And again
in these well known words of our Saviour, " fear
not them which kiil tlie body, but are not able to
kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to de-
stroy both soul and body in hell," Mat. x. 28. To
kill the body is to cause a particular evil ; and to fear
them which kill the body is to regard the death of the
body as a general evil, determining the whole of our
felicity. To fear him vMch is able to destroy the soul,
is to consider the loss of the soul as the general evil,
and him who is able to destroy the soul as alone able

396 God the only Object of Fear.

to determine the whole of our felicity or misery.
In this sense we understand the text, and this sense
seems most agreeable to the scope of the place.

The prophet was endeavoming to abase false gods
in the eyes of his countrymen, while the true God
was suffering their Avorshippers to carry his people
into captivity. He was aiming to excite the Jews to
worship the God of heaven and earth, and to de-
spise idols even amidst the trophies and the triumphs
of idolaters. He was trying to convince them fully
that idols could procure neither happiness nor mis-
ery to mankind ; and tliat, if thek worshippers should
inflict any punishments on the captives, they would
be only particular evils permitted by the provi-
dence of God : " Be not dismayed at the signs of
heaven because the heathen are dismayed at them.
One cutteth a tree out of the forest with the ax /o
make idols ; another decks them with silver and with
sold, and fastens them with nails and with hammers
that they move not. They are upright as the palm-
tree, but speak not. They must needs be borne,
because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them, for
they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do
good," ver. 2, &c. Remark here the double mo-
tive of not fearing them : on the one hand, they can-
not do evil ; on the other, neither is it in them to do
good. This justifies the idea that we give you of
fear, by representing it as tliat disposition, which
considers its object as having our happiness and our
misery in its power. Instead of fearing that they
should destroy you, announce ye their destruction,
and say unto them, in the language of the Babyloni-

God the only Ohject of Fear. 397

ans who worship them,^ "the gods that have not
made the heavens, and the earth, even they shall
perish from the earth, and from under tlie heavens,"
ver. 11. Having thus shewn that heath.en gods
could not be the object of that fear, which consider-
eth a being as able to procure happiness and mise-
ry; the prophet represents the God of Israel as
alone worthy of such an homage, " He hath made
the earth by his power, lie hath established the
world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the
heavens by his discretion. When he uttereth his
voice there is a multitude of waters in the heavens,
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends
of the earth : he maketh lightnings with rain, and
bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. Mol-
ten images are falsehood and vanity. The portion
of Jacob is not like them : for he is the former of
all things, and Israel is the rod of his inheritance ;
the Lord of hosts is his name," ver. 12, <fcc. The
prophet, his own mind being filled with these noble
ideas, supposes that every other mind is filled with
them too; and in an ecstacy exclaims, " Who would
not fear thee, O King of nations ? for to thee doth
it appertain !"

Fear, then, taken in this third sense, is an homage
that cannot be paid to a creature without falling in-
to idolatry. To regard a being, as capable of de-
termining the happiness or misery of an immortal
soul, is to pay the honours of adoration to him. As*
it can be said of none but God, it is my happiness to
draw near to him : so of him alone can it be truly

* These words are in the Chaldean language in the original.

398 God the only Object of Fear.

said, it is my misery to depart from him, Psal. Ixxiii.
28. Moreover, this homage belongeth to him in a
complete and eminent manner. He possesseth all
without restriction that can contribute to our felici-
ty, or to our misery. Three ideas, under which we
are going to consider God, will prove what we have
affirmed.

I. God is a being, whose will is self-efficient.

II. God is the only being, who can act immedi-
ately on spiritual souls.

III. God is the only being, who can make all crea-
tures concur with his designs. From these three
notions of God follows this consequence, Who
would not fear thee, O King of nations ?

I. God is a being, whose will is self-efficient. We
call that will self-efficient, which infallibly produ-
ceth its effect. By this efficiency of will we distin-
guish God from every other being, either real, or
possible. No one but God hath a self-efficient will.
There is no one but God of w hom the argument from
the will to the act is demonstrative. Of none but
God can we reason in this manner : he willeth, there-
fore he doth. Every intelligent being hath some
degree of efficiency in his will: my will hath an
efficiency on my arm; I will to move my arm,
my arm instantly moves. But there is as great
a difference between the efficiency of the will of a
creature, and the efficiency of the will of the Crea-
tor, as there is between a finite and an infinite be-
ing. The will of a created intelligence, properly
speaking, is not self-efficient, for it hath only a bor-
rowed efficiency. When he, from >vhom it is deri-

God the only Object of Fear. 399

ved, restrains it, this created intelligence will have
only a vain, weak, inefficient will. I have to-day a
will efficient to move my arm : but if that Being
from whom I derive this will, should contract, or re-
lax, the fibres of this arm, my will to move it Avould
become vain, weak, and inefficient. I have a will
efficient on the whole mass of this body, to which it
hath pleased the Creator to unite my immortal soul :
but were God to dissolve the bond, by which he hath
united these two parts of me together, all that I might
then will in regard to this body would be vain, weak,
and destitute of any effect. When the intelligence,
who united my soul to my body, shall have once
pronounced the word return, Psal. xc. 3. that poiiion
of matter to which my soul was united will be as free
from the power of my will as the matter that consti-
tTites the body of the sun, or as that which constitutes
bodies, to which neither my senses, nor my imagina-
tion, can attain. All this comes to pass, because the
efficiency of a creature is a boiTowed efficiency,
whereas that of the Creator is self-efficient and unde-
rived.

Farther, the efficiency of a creature's will is finite.
My will is efficient in regard to the portion of mat-
ter to which I am united: but how contracted is
my empire ! how limited is my sovereignty ! It ex-
tends no farther than the mass of my body extends ;
and the mass of my body is only a few inches broad,
and a few cubits high. What if those mortals, who
are called kings, monarchs, emperors could by for-
eign aid extend the efficiency of theii' wills to the
most distant places ; what if they were able to ex-

400 God the only Object of Fear.

tend it to the extremities of this planet, which we
inhabit ; how little way, after all, is it to the extrem-
ities of this planet ? What if, by the power of sul-
phur and saltpetre, these men extend the efficiency
of their will to a little height in the air ; how low,
after all, is that height ? Were a sovereign to unite
every degree of power, that he could procure, to ex-
tend his efficiency to the nearest planet, all his efforts
would be useless. The efficiency of a creature's will
is finite, as well as borrowed : that of the Creator is
independent and universal ; it extends to the most re-
mote beings, as well as to those that surround us, it
extends alike to all actual and to all possible beings.
My brethren, are ye stricken with this idea? Do ye
perceive its relation to our subject ? Who would not
fear thee, O king of nations 1

Our low and groveling minds, low and groveling
as they are, have yet some notion of the grand and
the marvellous ; and nothing can impede, nothing
can limit, nothing can equal our notion of it: when
we give it scope it presently gets beyond every
thing that we see, and every thing that exists. Re-
ality is not sufficient, fancy must be indulged ; real
existences are too indigent, possible beings must be
imagined ; and we presently quit the real to range
through the ideal world. Hence come poetical fic-
tions, and fabulous narrations; and hence marvel-
lous adventures, and romantic enchantments. A
man is assuredly, an object of great pity, when he
pleaseth himself with such fantastic notions. But,
the principle that occasioned these fictions, ought to
render the mind of man respectable : it is the very

God the only Object of Fear. 401

principle which we have mentioned. It is because
the idea, that the mind of man hath of the grand and
marvelJous, finds nothing to impede, nothing to lim-
it, notliing to equal it. The most able architect
cannot fully gratify this idea, although he employs
his genius, his materials, and his artists, to erect a
superb and regular edifice in a few years: All this is
far below the notion which we have of the grand
and tha marvellous. Our mind imagines an inch. int-
er, who, uniting in an instant all the secrets of art,
and all the wonders of nature, by a single word of
his mouth, or by a single act of his will, produceth
a house, a palace, or a city. The most able me-
chanic cannot fully gratify this idea, although with
a marvellous industry he build a vessel, which re-
sisting winds and waves, passeth from the east to the
west, and disco vereth new worlds, which nature
seemed to have forbidden us to approach, by the im-
mense spaces that it hath placed between us. Our
mmd fancies an inchantment, which giving to a bo-
dy naturally ponderous the levity of air, the activi-
ty of fire, the agility of flame; or of ethereal matter,
passeth the most immeasurable spaces with a rapidi-
ty SNV ifter than that of lightning. It is God, it is God
alone, my brethren, who is the original of these
ideas. God only possesseth that which gratifies and
absorbs our idea of the grand and the marvellous.
The extravagance of fable does not lie in the imagin-
ing of tliese things; but in the misapplication of
them. Must an edifice be formed by a single act
of the will ? In God we find the reality of this idea.
He forms not only a palace, a city, or a kingdom,

VOL. I. 51

402 God the only Object of Fear,

but a whole world by a single act of bis will ; be-
cause his will is always efficient, and always produ-
ceth its effect. God said^ let there he light, and there
was light, Gen. i. 3. He spake and it was done : he
commanded and it stood fast, Psal. xxxiii. 9. Must
the immense distances of the world be passed in an
instant ? In God we find the reality of this idea.
What am I saying ? we find more than this in God.
He doth not pass through the spaces that separate
the heavens from the earth, he fills them with the
immensity of his essence. " Will God indeed dwell
on the earth ? Behold, the heaven, and heaven of
beavens cannot contain thee !" 1 Kings viii. 27.
" Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool : where is the house
that ye build unto me ? And where is the place of
my rest ? For all those things hath mine hand made,
saith the Lord," Isa. Ixvi. 1, 2.

Were it necessary to prove that this idea is not a
freak of our fancy, but that it ariseth from an ori-
ginal which really exists : I would divide, the bet-
ter to prove my proposition, my opponents into two
classes. The first should consist of those Avho al-
ready admit the existence of a perfect Being : To
them I could easily prove that efficiency of will is
a perfection, and that we cannot conceive a Being
perfect, who doth not possess this perfection. It is
essential to the perfection of a Being, that we should
be able to say of him, Who hath resisted his will I
Rom. ix. 19. Could any other being resist his will,
that being a\ ould be free from his dominion ; and
w^ould subsist, not only independently on him, but

God the only Object of Fear, 403

even in spite of him: and then we could conceive a
being; moie perfect than he, that is, a being from
whose dominion nothing could free itself.

In the second class I would place those who deny
the existence of a Supreme Being ; and to them I
would prove that the existence of beings, who have
a derived efficiency of will, proves the existence of
a Being whose will is self-efficient. Whence have
finite beings derived that limited efficiency, which
they possess, if not from a self-efficient Being, who
hath distributed portions of efficiency among sub-
ordinate beings?

But it is less needful to prove that there is a Be-
ing who hatli suc{] a perfection ; tlsan it is to prove,
that he who possesseth it merits, and alone merits,
such a fear as .^e have described: that he deserves,
and that he alone deserves to be considered as hav-
ing our felicity, and our misery, in his power. Who
would not Jear thee, O king of nations 1 to thee doth
it not appertain? And who would not consider thee
as the only object of this fear ? To whom beside doth
it appertain ? The efficiency of a creature's will pro-
ceeds from thee, and as it proceeds from thee alone,
by ttiee alone does it subsist : one act of thy vv ill
gave it existence, and one act of thy will can take
that existence away ! The most formidable creatures
are only terrible through the exercise of a small
portion of efficiency derived from thee ; thou art
the source, the soul, of all ! Pronounce the sentence
of my misery, and I shall be miserable : pronounce
that of my felicity, and I shall be happy: nor shall
any thing be able to disconcert a happiness that is
maintained by an efficient will, which is superior to

404 God the only Object of Fear,

all opposition : before which all is nothing, or ra-
ther, which is itself all in all, because its efficiency
communicates efficiency to all ! Who would not fear
thee, O king of nations ? Doth not fear appertain to
thee alone ?

Perhaps the proving of a self-efficient will may
be more than is necessary to the exliibiting of an ob-
ject of human fear. Must such a grand spring move
to destroy such a contemptible creature as man ?
He is only a vapour, a particle of air is sufficient
to dissipate it : he is only a flower, a blast of wind
is sufficient to make it fade. This is undeniable in
regard to the material and visible man, in which we
too often place all our glory. It is not only, then,
to the infinite God, it is not only to him whose will
is self-efficient, that man owes the homage of fear :
it may be said that he owes it, in a sense, to all
those creatui^es, to which Providence hath given a
presidency over his happiness or his misery. He
ought not only to say, " Who would not fear thee,
O king of nations ? for to thee doth it appertain !"
But he ought also to say, Who would not fear thee,
O particle of air ? Who w^ould not fear thee, O
blast of wind ? Who would not fear thee, O crush-
ing of a moth? Job iv. 15. Because there needs
only a particle of air, there needs only a puff of
wind, there needs only the crushing of a moth, to
subvert his happiness, and to destroy his life. But
ye would entertain very different notions of human
happiness and misery, were ye to consider man in a
nobler light ; and to attend to our second notion of
God, as an object of fear.

SERMON XII.

God the only Object of Fear,
PART II.

Jeremiah x. 7.

Who would not fear thee, O King of nations 1 For
to thee doth it appertain,

ItOD is the only being who hath a supreme domin-
ion over the operations of a spiritual and immortal
soul. The discussion of this article would lead us
into observations too abstract for this place ; and
therefore we make it a law to abridge our reflections.
We must beg leave to remark, however, that we
ought to think so highly of the nature of man as to
admit this principle : God alone is able to exercise
an absolute dominion over a spu'itual and immortal
soul. From this principle we conclude, that God
alone hath the happiness and misery of man in his
power. God alone merits the supreme homage of
fear. God alone not only in opposition to all the
imaginary gods of paganism, but also in opposition
to every being that really exists, is worthy of this
part of the adoration of a spiritual and immortal
creature. " Who would not fear thee, O King of
nations?"

406 God the only Object of Fear.

Weigh the emphatical words which we just now"
quoted, " AVho art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid
of a man that shall die ?" Who art thou, immaterial
spirit^ that thou shouldst be afraid of a man ? Who
an thou, immortal spirit^ that thou shouldst be afraid
of a man that shall die ?

Who art thou, immaterial spirit, that thou shouldst
be afraid of a man ? Man hath no immediate power
over a spirit ; he can affect it only by means of body.
It is only by the body that a tyrant can cause a little
anguish in the soul. It is only by the body as a
mean that he can flatter some of the propensities of
the soul, and propose himself to it as an object of its
hope and fear. But, beside that this power is infi-
nitely small while the soul is subject to it; beside
that the soul is capable of a thousand pleasures and a
thousand pams, during its union to the body, which
man cannot excite ; beside these advantages, it is be-
yond a doubt, that this power of a tyrant can en-
dure no longer than the union of the soul to the body
doth, by the mean of which the tyrant affects it. If
a tyrant exercise his power to a certain degree, he
loscth it. When he has carried to a certain degree
that violent motion which he produceth in the body,
in order to afflict the soul, which is united to it, he
breaks the bond that unites the soul to the body, and
frees his captive by overloading him with chains.
Tlie union being dissolved the soul is free ; it no
longer depends on the tyrant, because he communi-
cates with it only by means of body. After the de-
if«truction of the organs of the body, the soul is su-
perior lo every effort of a despof s rage. Death re-

God the only Object of Fear. 407

moves the soul beyond the reach of the most poAver-
fiil monarch. After death the soul becomes invisi-
ble, and a tyrant's eye searcheth for it in vain : it
ceaseth to be tangible, his chains and his fetters can
hold it no more : it is no more divisible, his gibbets
and his racks, his pincers and his wheels can rend it
no more : none of his fires can burn it, for it is not
combustible ; nor can any of his dungeons confine it,
for it is immaterial.

Would to God, my brethren, that we were well
acquainted with our real giandeur, and, perceiving
our own excellence, were above trembling at those
contemptible worms of the earth, who fancy that
they know how to terrify us, only because they have
acquired the audacity of addressing us with insolence
and pride. There is no extravagance, there is not
even a shadow of extravagance, in what we have ad-
vanced on the giandeur of an immaterial spirit. We
have not said enough. It is not enough to say that
a soul can neither be disordered by chains, nor racks,
nor gibbets, nor pincers, nor fires ; it defies the uni-
ted power of universal nature. Yea, were all the
w^aters that hang in the clouds, and all that roll in the
sea, were every drop collected into one prodigious
deluge to overwhelm it, it would not be drowned.
Were mountains the most huge, were masses the
most enormous, were all matter to compose, if I
may speak so, one vast ponderous weight to fall on
and to crush it, it would not be bruised, yea, it would
not be moved. Were all the cedars of Lebanon,
with all the brimstone of Asphaltites, and with eve-
ry other infianiiiiable matter, kindled in one blaze to

408 God the only Object of Fear.

consume it, it would not be burnt. Yea, when " the
heavens pass away with a great noise, when the con-
stellations of heaven fall, when the elements melt
with fervent heat, when the earth, and all the works
that are therein, are burnt up," 2 Pet. iii. 10. when
all these things are dissolved, thou human soul ! shalt
surmount all these vicissitudes and rise above all their
ruins! Who art thou? Immaterial spirit! Who art
thou to he afraid of a man 1

But if the soul, considered in its nature ; if the
soul as a spiritual being, be superior to human tyran-
ny ; what homage, on this very account, what sub-
mission and abasement, or to confine ourselves to the
text, what fear ought we not to exercise toward the
Supreme Being ? " Who would not fear thee, O King
of nations ?" God alone hath the power of destroy-
ing an immaterial soul ; God alone hath the power of
preserving it. God is the only father of spirits.
" Fear not them which kill the body : but fear him
which is able to destroy the soul. Yea, I say unto
you, fear him," Heb. xii. 9. God alone can act im-
mediately on a spiritual creature. He needs neither
the fragrance of flowers, nor the savour of foods, nor
any of the mediums of matter, to communicate agree-
able sensations to the soul. He needs neither the ac-
tion of fire, the rigour of racks, nor the galling of
chains, to produce sensations of pain. He acts im-
mediately on the soul. It is he, human soul ! It is
he, who, by leaving ihee to revolve in the dark void
of thine unenlightened mind, can deliver thee up to
all the torments that usually follow ignorance, uncer-
tainty, and doubt. But the same God can expand

God the only Object of Fear. 409

ihine intelligence just when he pleaseth, and enable
it to lay down principles, to infer consequences, to
establish conclusions. It is he, who can impaii new
ideas to thee, teach thee to combine those which tliou
hast already acquired, enable thee to multiply num-
bers, shew^ thee how^ to conceive the infinitely various
arrangements of matter, acquaint thee with the es-
sence of thy thought, its different modifications and
its endless operations. It is he, who can giant thee
new^ revelations, develope those which he hath alrea-
dy given thee, but which have hitherto lain in obscu-
rity ; he can inform thee of his pui-poses, his coun-
sels and decrees, and lay before thee, if I may ven-
ture to say so, the whole history of time and eterni-
ty : For nothing either hath subsisted in time, or will
subsist in eternity, but what was preconceived in the
counsels of his infinite intelligence. It is he, who
alone, and for ever, can excite infinite sensations of
pleasure or pain within thee. It is he, who can ap-
prehend the soul of a tyrant, amidst the most gay and
festive objects, among the most servile flatteries of a
court, and, in spite of a concourse of pleasures, pro-
duce such horrors and fears, and exquisite tonuents, as
shall change even a Belshazzar's " countenance, trou-
ble his thoughts, loosen the joints of his loins, and
smite his knees one against another," Dan. v. 6. And
it is he also, w ho is able to diveit a sensation of pain,
amidst the greatest torments, yea, to absorb a strong
sensation of pain in a stronger sensation of pleasure.
He can make a madyr triumph, all involved in fire
and flame, by shedding abroad effusions of love in

VOL. T. 52

4 iO God the only Object of Fear.

his heart : the peace of God which passeth all under-
standing, and which keeps the senses,^ Rom. v. 5,
Phil. iv. 7. that is^ a peace which is superior to the
action of the senses, and not to be interrupted by the
exercise of them. It is he, who can enable him to
celebrate a victory during an apparent defeat : who
can overflow in a sufferer's heart, the pains of mar»
tyrdom with the pleasures of paradise, and fill the
mouth with shouts of triumph and songs of praise.

Speak, ye martyrs of Jesus Christ, tell us what
influence the infinite God hath over the soull Be ye
our divines and philosophers. What did ye feel,
when, penetrating through a shower of stones, ye
cried, " Behold, we see the heavens opened, and the
Son of man standing on the right hand of God ?"^
Acts vii. 56. What did ye feel, when experiencing
all the rage of cruel Nero, ye exulted, " We rejoice
in hope of the glory of God ?" Rom. v. 2. But
this is not the whole of the believer's joy. The ex-
pectation of arriving at great happiness by means of
tribulations may naturally produce a patient suhmis-
sion to tribulations. But here is something more.
" We rejoice," saith St. Paul, *' in hope of the glory
of God. And not only so," adds he, (weigh this
expressive sentence, my brethren,) " not only so ;"

* Our author uses the common readmg of the French bible,
which is, garde les sens. The original word is used in the holy-
scriptures for rejlection, Rom. vii. 25. and for sensation. Jam. i.
23. The reason of our following the French reading in this
place is obvious. Where the same reason does not oblige us,
we have made it a law, in quotations of scripture, scrupulously
to adhere to our English text.

God the only Ohjcct of Fear. 411

it is not only "the hope of the glory of God" that
supports and comforts us; "not only so; but we
glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation
worketlj patience, and patience experience, and ex-
perience hope : and hope maketh not ashamed, be-
cause the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts,
by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." What
-did ye feel, when your executioners, not being able
to obtain your voluntary adoration of their idols,
endeavoured to obtain it by force ;" when, refusing
to offer that incense which they had put into your
hands, ye sang, " Blessed be the Lord, who teacheth
our hands to war and our fingers to fight ? Ps. cxliv.
1. What did ye feel, when, wrapping your heads
in the few rags that persecution had left you, ye
refused to look at the worship of idols, and patient-
ly submitted to be bruised with bastinadoes, con-
demned to thegallies, and chained to the oars ? What
did ye feel, when, in that painful situation, ye em-
ployed the remainder of your strength to look up-
w^ard and to adore the God of heaven and earth ? It
is God who supports his creature amidst all these,
torments, and he alone can infinitely diversify and
extend his sensibility. None but he can excite in
the soul those ineffable pleasures, of which we have
no ideas, and which we can express by no names :
but which will be the objects of our eternal praises,
if they be the objects of our present faith and hope.
It is God, and only God, who can communicate hap-
piness in this manner. None of this power is in the
hand of man. JVho art thou, spiritual creature, to
be afraid of a man ?

412 God the only Object of Fear,

But we add farther, Who art thou, immortal crea-
ture, to he afraid of a man that shall die ? Tlie im-
mortality of the soul elevates it above a mortal pow-
er, and renders supreme fear a just homage to none
but to that Being whose dominion continues as long
as the soul continues to exist. Can we be such no-
vices, I do not say in the school of revelation, but in
that of the most superficial reason, as to confound the
duration of the soul with the duration of life ? Or
rather, are we so expert in the art of going from
the great to the little, from the little to the less, from
the less to the least divisible parts of time, or of mat-
ter, as to assign an atom of matter so minute, or an
instant of time so inconsiderable, that either of them
would express the shortness of a mortal life in com-
parison of the duration of an immortal soul ? The
most accurate teachers of logic and metaphysics for-
bid the use of the terms, length, duration, period, in
speaking of eternity. We may say a length, a du-
ration, a period, of a thousand, or of ten thousand
millions of ages : but if we speak accurately and
philosophically, we cannot say the duration of eter-
nity, the length of eternity, the periods of eternity s
because all the terms that are applicable to tirne, are
inadequate to eternity. No, no, ye would attempt
difficulties altogether insurmountable, were ye to
try to find a quantity so small as to express the
shortness of a mortal life in comparison of the dura-
tion of an immortal soul. Not only the most ex-
pert mathematician is unequal to the attempt : but
it implies a contradiction to aflfirm, that the infinite
spirit can do this ; because contradiction never is an

God the only Object of Fear, 413

object of infinite power, and because it implies a
contradiction to measure the existence of an immor-
tal soul by the duration of a mortal life. It can
never be said that a hundred years are tlie thou-
sandth, or tl e ten thousandtli, or the hundred tliou-
sandth part of eternity. The inspired writers, whose
language was often as just as their ideas were pure,
have told us, that life is as the ni the ring grass ; as a
failing Jlower ; as a declining shadow; snifter than
the rapid and imperceptible motion of a weaver's
shuttle. They call it a vapour, that is dissipated in
the ail'; a dream, of which no vestige remains when
the morning is come; a thought^ that vanisheth as
soon as it is formed; a phantom f which walketh in
a vain shew, Isa. xl. 7. Ps. cii. 11. Job vii. 6. James
iv. 14. Ps. Ixxiii. 20. But by all these emblems they
meant to excite humility in us ; but not to give us
any ideas of a proportion between tiie duration of
withering grass, fading flowers, declining shadows,
the time of throwing a weaver's shuttle, of the dissi-
pation of a vapour, of the passing of a dream, of the
forming and losing of a thought, of the appearance of
a phantom, and the eternal existence of an immortal
soul. Such is the life of man 1 and such the dura-
lion of the dominion of a tyrant over an immortal
soul ! a duration which is only a point in eternity.
A tyrant is mortal, his empire expires with his life,
and were he to employ the whole course of his life
in tormenting a martyr, and in trying to impair his
felicity, he would resemble an idiot throwing stones
at the ligiitning, while, in an indivisible moment, and
* Psal. xc. 9. Heb. t Psal. xxxix. 5, 6. Hcb.

414 God the only Object of Fear,

with an inconceivable rapidity, it caught his eye as
it passed from the east to the west.

But God is the king immortal, 1 Tim. i. 17. and
the eternity of his dominion is sufficient, my dear
hearers, to demonstrate the truth of the text, and to
fix all the possible attention of your minds on this
question, Who would not fear thee, O king of na-
tions ! The immortal king is the only fit object of
the fear of an immortal soul. There is no empire
immortal but that of God, no dominion unchangea-
ble but his. AVhen the soul enters eternity it will
be subject only to the God of eternity : " O my God,
of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth ;
and the heavens are the work of thy hands : They
shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of
them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture
shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no
end !" Ps. cii. 24. We must, of necessity, take up
again the words space, duration, period, which
we just now discarded for their impropriety,
when applied to eternity. During the periods
of eternity, through all the duration of the ex-
istence of him, who is the same, and whose years
shall have no end, the immortal God will for ev-
er produce the happiness, or the misery of an
immortal soul. His dominion over it will be eter-
nally exercised in rendering it happy or miserable.
The reprobate soul will eternally be the object of
the avenging power of this God, for it will eternally
be under the hand of its judge. The faithful soul
will eternally be the recipient of the beneficence of

God the only Object of Fear, 415

the immortal God, who is the worthy object, the on-
ly object of solid hope and supreme fear. Fear not
them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
sold : bid rather fear him nhich is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell : yea, I say unto you, fear him.
Who nould not fear thee, O king of nations ? Doth
not fear appertain to thee alone ?

III. Here, my brethren, could I think that I had
been preaching to marbles, and to rocks ; could I
think that I had been discoursing to men, who at-
tended on the preacher without hearing the sermon,
or who heard without understanding it ; I should
think other proofs needful to demonstrate, that God
alone merited the hofnage of supreme fear. Could I
think that I had been preaching to men, who were
all absorbed in sense and matter, and who could form
no ideas in theii' minds unless some material objects
w^ere presented to their senses, or some imagery ta-
ken from sensible objects were used to excite them ;
I would insist on the third part of this discourse. If
the idea of a Being, whose will is self-efficient and
who can act immediately on a spiritual soul, w ere not
sufficient to incline you to render the homage of fear
to God, I would represent him under the third nor
tion, which we gave you of him, as making all crea-
tures fulfil his will. If tyrants, executioners, pris-
ons, dungeons, racks, tortures, pincers, caldions of
boiling oil, gibbets, stakes, were necessary ; if all
nature, and all the elements were wanted to inspire
that sold with fear, which is so far elevated above the
elements, and all the powers of nature : I would
prove to you that tyrants and executioners, prisons

416 God the only Object of Fear.

and dungeons, racks and tortures, and pincers, cal-
drons of boiling oil, gibbets and stakes, all nature
and all the elements fulfil the designs of the king of
nations ; and that, when they seem the least under
his direction, they are invariably accomplishing his
will.

These are not imaginary ideas of mine ! but they
are taken from the same scriptures that establish the
first ideas, which we have been explaining. What do
our prophets and apostles say of tyrants, execution-
ers, and persecutors ? In what colours do they paint
them ? Behold, how God contemns tlie proudest po-
tentates ; see how he mortifies and abases them. " O
Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the stafi* in your
hand is mine indignation : howbeit, thy heart doth
not think so. The Lord hath broken the staff* of the
wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. Thy pomp is
brought down to the grave, the worm is spread un-
der thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning !
How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst
weaken the nations. Thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will
be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought
down to hell. Because thy rage, against me, and
thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will
[ put uiy hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips,
and I will turn thee back by the way thou earnest,'*
Isa. X. 5. 7. ch. xiv. 5, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. ch. xxxvii.

God the only Object of Fear, 417

29. O! how capable Avere our sacred authors of
considerins: the grandees of the earth in their true
point of light ! O ! how well they knew how to teach
us what a king, or a tyrant, is in the presence of
him, by whose command kings decree justice^ Prov.
viii. 15. and by whose permission, and even di-
rection, tyrants decree injustice ! The last words
that we quoted from Isaiah, relate to Sennacher-
ib. And who is this Sennacherib, whose general,
Rabshakeh is come up nith a great host to over-
whelm Jerusalem ! AYhere is this great king of
Assyria 1 What is this insolent mortal, who saith.
Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad?
Where are the gods of Sepharvaim ? Hath any of the
gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of
mine hand / Shall Ihr Lord deliver Jerusalem oid of
mine hand? 2 Kings xviii. 17. 34. 33. What is this
Sennacherib ? And what are all those who tread in
his arrogant steps ? They are wild beasts ? but wild
beasts in chains, conducted whither an almighty arm
pleiseth to lead them. The power of this arm is a
hook in the noses of these animals, a bridle in their
lips ; it turneth them by the hook to the right or to
the left, and it straiteneth or looseneth the bridle
as it pleaseth. By tfiis hook, by this bridle, God led
the Assyrian beast \^ itliout his knowing it, and when
his heart did not think so : he led him from Assyria
to Judea, from Judea to Assyria, as his wisdom re-
quned his presence in either place.

The prophets meant to inspire us with the same
notion of insensible and inanimate beings, so tl-at
e\fv\ X\ ing which excites iear might lead us to fear

VOL. T. 53

418 God the only Ohject of Fear.

the king of nations, who hath all things in his poweiv
and moves all according to his own pleasure. We
will not multiply proofs. The prophet, in the chap-
ter out of which we have taken the text, mentions
an object very fit to inspire us with the fear of the
king of naiions, who disposeth inanimate beings in
such a manner : he describe th a tempest at sea.
The gravity of this discourse, the majesty of this
place, and the character of this auditory will not al-
low those descriptions which a sportive fancy in-
vents. We allow students to exercise their imagina-
tions in an academy, and we pass over their glaring
images in favour of their youth and inexperience :
but sometimes descriptions supply the place of ar-
guments, and a solid logic, not a puerile rhetoric,
requires them. We are now in this case. In order
to humble nian in the presence of the king of na-
tions, we tell him that this king can make all crea-
tures fulfil his will. With the same design, our pro-
phet gives a sensible example of the power of God,
by transporting man to the ocean, and by shewing
bim " the works of the Lord, and his wonders in
the deep. God uttereth his voice," saith he, in a
verse that follows the text, " and there is a noise of
a multitude of waters in the heavens. He causeth
the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth
the wind out of his treasures," Ps. cvii. 24. 13.
Thou dull stupid man ! who art not stricken with
the idea of a God, whose will is self-eificient, and
Vv'ho alone can act immediately on an immaterial
sou], come and beliold some sensible proofs of thai

God the only Object of Fear, 419

kifinile power of which inetapliysical proofs can
give thee no idea! And Ihou, proud insolent man •
go aboard the best built vessel, put out to sea, set
the most vigilant watch, surround thyself with the
most formidable instruments; what art tliou, when
God uttertth his voiced What art thou, when the
noise resounds ? What art thou, wlien torrents of
rain seem to threaten a second deluge, and to make
the globe which thou inhabitest one rolling sea?
W^hat art thou, when lightnings emit tlieir terrible
flashes ? Wliat art tliou, when the winds come roar-
ing Old of their treasures ? What art thou llien r Ver-
ily, thou art no less than thou wast in thy palace.
Thou art no less than when thou wast sitting at a
delicious table. Thou art no less than thou wast
^vhen every thing contributed to thy pleasure. Thou
art no less than when, at the head of thine army,
thou wast the terror of nations, shaking tiiC earth
with the stunning noise of thy warlike instruments :
for, at thy festal board, within thy palace, among
thy pleasures, at the head of thine armies, thou
wast nothing before the king of nations. As an im-
material and immortal creature, thou art subject to
his immediate power: but, to humble and to con-
found thee, he must manifest himself to thee in sen-
sibk objects. Behold him then in this formidable
situation : try thy power against his : silence the
noise of the multitude of waters : fasten tlie vessel
that reeleth like a drunken man ; smooth the foaming
waves that mount thee up to heaven; fill up the hor-
rible gulfs whither thou goest down to the bottoms of
the moiujitains, Psal. cvii. 27. 26. Jonah ii. 7. di^si-

420 God the only Object of Fear.

pale the lightning that flasheth in thy face ; hush the
bellowing thunders; confine the winds in their cav-
erns ; assuage the anguish of thy soul, and prevent
its melting and exhaling with fear. How diminu-
tive is man ! my brethren. How many ways hath
God to confound his pride ! " He uttereth his voice,
and there is a noise of a multitude of waters in the
heavens. He causeth the vapours to ascend from
the ends of the earth. He maketh lightnings with
rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treas-
ures. Who Avould not fear thee, O king of na-
tions ?"

In this manner the prophets represent all beings,
animate and inanimate, material and immaterial, as
concurring in tlie Creator's will. This is not a truth
which requires the submission of faith, but every
branch of it proceeds from reason,and is supported by
experience. When God willeth the destruction, or
the deliverance of a people, all creation executes his
design. When he is angry, every thing becomes an
instrument of vengeance. A cherub, brandishing a
flaming sword, prevents the return of guilty man to
paradise. The air infected, the earth covered with
noxious plants, the brute creation enraged, wage war
with the rebel. Grasshoppers become the Lord's
great army, io^Wi, II. flies swarm, waters change
into blood, light turns to darkness, and all besiege
the palace and the person of Pharaoh. The heavens
themselves, the stars in their courses, Jight against Si-
sera, Jud. V. 20. The earth yawns, and swallows up
Dathan and Abiram in its frightful caverns. Fire
consumes Nadab and Abihu, Korah and his compa-

God the only Object of Fear, 421

iiy. A fish buries alive the prevaricating Jonah in
his wide mouth. But on the contrary, when God
declares himself for a people, there is nothing in the
universe wliich God cannot make a mean of happi-
ness. The heavens unfurl theu' beauties ; the sun
expands his light ; the earth adorns herself w ith flow-
ers, and loads herself with fruits, to entertain the fa-
vourite of the king of nations ; while the animals
become teachable, and offer to bow to his service.
" All things work together for good to them that love
God. All things are yours, whether Paul, or Ce-
phas, or the world. Behold, I will do a new^ thing.
Tbe beasts of the field shall honour me, the di agons
and the owls : because 1 give waters in the wilder-
ness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my peo-
ple, my chosen. Ye shall go out with joy, and be led
forth w ith peace : the mountains and the hills shall
break forth before you into singing, and all the trees
of the fields shall clap their hands. Drop down, ye
heavens from above, let the earth open and bring
forth salvation ! Rom. viii. 28. 1 Cor. iii. 22. Isa. xliii.
19, 23.lv. 12. xlv. 8.

Thus, my brethren, hath God proportioned him-
self to our meanness and dullness, in order to inspire
us with fear. Is it necessary, to make us fear God,
that we should see bodies, various parts, and prodi-
gious masses of matter, march at his word to fulfil
his will ? Well, behold bodies, in various parts and
in vast masses ! Behold ! universal nature moving at
his word, and fulfilling his will. Let us fear God in
this view of him, if our minds enveloped in matter
cannot conceive an idea of a being, whose will is

422 God the only Object of Fear,

self-efficient, and who alone can act on immaterial
souls. But, my brethren, a mind accustomed to
meditation hath no occasion for this last notion : the
first absorbs all. A God, every act of whose will
is effectual, is alone worthy of the homage of fear.
A just notion of his power renders all ideas of means
useless. Tlie power of God hath no need of means.
Were I existing alone with God, God could make
me supremely happy, or supremely miserable : one
act of his will is sufficient to do either. We do not
mean to enlarge the idea, when, speaking of an all-
sufficient Creator, who is superior to the want of
means, we treat of a concurrence of creatures : we
only mean to level the subject to the capacities of
some of our hearers.

Let us sum up w hat has been said. To consider a
creature as the cause of human felicity is to pay him
tl e homao-e of adoration, and to commit idolatry.
TLe avaricious man is an idolater; the ambitious
man is an idolater ; the voluptuous man is an idola-
ter : And to render to a creature the homage of fear
is also idolatry ; for supreme fear is as much due to
God alone as supreme hope. He who fears w ar,
and doth not fear the God who sends war, is an
idolater. He who fears the plague, and who doth
not fear the God who sends the plague, is an idola-
ter.

It is idolatry, in public or in private adversities,
to have recourse to second causes, to little subordi-
nate deities, so as to neglect to appease tlie wrath of
the Supreme God. To consult the wise, to assem-
ble a council, to man fleets, to raise armies, to build

God the only Object of Fear. 423

forts, to elevate ramparts, and not to consider the
succour of heaven, which alone is capable of giving
success to all such means, is to be guilty of idolatry.
Isaiah reproveth the Jews in the most severe manner
for this kind of idolatry. In that day, saith the pro-
phet, speaking of tlie precautions which they had
taken to prevent the designs of their enemies ; " In
that day, thou didst look to tlie armour of the house
of the forest. Ye have seen also the breaches of
the city of David : and ye gathered together the
Avaters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered
the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye
broken down to fortify the wall. Ye have made
also a ditch between the two walls, for the w^ater
of the old pool : but ye have not looked unto the
maker of this Jerusalem, neither had respect imto
him that fashioned it long ago. And in that day
did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to
mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sack-
cloth : and behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen
and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking Avine ;
let us eat and drink, for to-morrow^ we shall die. And
it was revealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts.
Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you,
till ye die, saith the Lord of hosts, Is. xxii. 8, 9, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14. Do we deserve less cutting reproach-
es ? In that day, in the day of our public and pri-
vate calamities, we have consulted wise men, we
have assembled councils, we have fitted out fleets,
and raised armies, we have pretended by them to
secure these provinces from impending dangers and
Ave have "not had respect unto him that fashioned

424 God the only Object of Fear,

them long ago." But what are wise men ? What
are councils? What are navies? What are armies
and fortifications, but subordinate beings, which God
directs as he pleaseth ? Ah ! ye penitential tears, ye
days of sackcloth and ashes, ye solemn humiliations,
ye sighs that ascend to God, ye fervent prayers, ye
saints who impart your souls in fervour; and, above
all, ye sincere conversions to the king of nations,
love to his laws, obedience to his commands, sub-
mission to his will, tenderness to his people, zeal for
his altars, devotedness to his worship ; if ye do not
prevail with the king of nations to favour our de-
signs, what must our destiny be? And ye tragical de-
signs, black attempts, shameful plots, impure associ-
ations, criminal intrigues, execrable oaths, atrocious
calumnies, cruel falsehoods, with what oceans of
misery will ye overflow us, if ye arm the king of na-
tions against us ?

To conclude. There is much imbecility, if no
idolatry in us, if, while we fear God, we stand in too
much awe of second causes, which sometimes appear
terrible to us. No, no, revolution of ages, subver-
sion of states, domestic seditions, foreign invasions,
contagious sicknesses, sudden and untimely deaths,
ye are only the servants of that God, whose favourite
creature I am. If, by his command, ye execute some
terrible order on me, I will receive it as a comfortable
order, because it is executed only for my good.
Trouble my peace : perhaps it may be fatal to me.
Turn the tide of my prosperity, which seems to con-
stitute my glory : perhaps it may be dangerous to
me. Snap the silken bonds that have so much influ-

God the only Object oj Fear, 425

ence on the happiness of my life : perhaps they may
become my idols. Pluck out my eyes, cut off my
hands ; perhaps they may cause me to offend, Mat,
xviii. 8. and may plunge me into the bottomless
abyss. Bind me to a cross : provided it be my Sav-
iour's cross. Cut the thread of my life : provided
the gates of immortal happiness be opened to me.

Christians, let us satiate our souls with these med-
itations. Let us give up our hearts to these emo-
tions. Let us fear God, and let us fear nothing else.
" Fear not thou worm Jacob. Fear thou not, for I
am with thee ; Be not dismayed, for I am thy God ;
I Avill strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I
will uphold thee with the right hand of my right-
eousness. Fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye men
of Israel ; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy
Redeemer, the holy One of Israel. Who will not
fear thee, O king of nations ? for to thee doth it ap-
pertain," Isa. xli. 10, 14. May God inspire us with
these sentiments I To him be honour and glory for
ever! Amen.

vol.. I. «01

SERMON Xni.

The Manner of Praising God.

Preached after the administration of the Lord's Supper.

Psalm xxxiii. 1.
Praise is comely for the upright.

JL HERE is something very majestic, my brethren,
in the end for which we are now assembled in the
presence of God. His Providence hath infinitely
diversified the conditions of those who compose this
assembly. Some are placed in the most eminent,
others in the most obscure posts of society. Some
live in splendour and opulence, others in meanness
and indigence. One is employed in the turbulence
of the army, another in the silence of the study.
Notwithstanding this infinite variety of employments,
ranks, and ages, we all assemble to-day in one place ;
one object occupies us ; one sentiment animates us ;
one voice makes the church resound, praise ye the
Lord., for his mercy endureth for ever, Psa. cxxxvi. 1.
If there be an object that can give a mortal any ideas
of the first impressions which are made on a soul, at
its first entering the glorious palace of the blessed
God in heaven, it is this. The first objects that
strike such a soul, are the multitudes of aU nations,

428 The Manner of praising God,

tongues, and people, concentered in a meditation on
the beneficence of God, prostrating themselves be-
fore his throne, casting their crowns at his feet, and
crying, out of the abundance of their hearts, which
contemplate the perfections of a being worthy of
their profoundest praise, " Amen, blessing and glo-
ry, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and
power, and might, be unto our God, for ever and
ever. Amen. We give thee thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come ;
because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and
hast reigned. Great and marvellous are thy works.
Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways,
thou King of saints ! Unto him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath
made us kings and priests mito God and his Father ;
to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen." Rev. vii. 12. xi. 17. xv. 3. i. 5, 6, This is
the employment of the blessed in heaven: this is
what we are doing to-day on earth.

But what a contradiction, what a contrast appears,
when, lifting up the exterior habit of piety that cov-
ers some of us, we examine the inward dispositions
of the heart. The psalms, which are uttered with
the voice, are contradicted by the tempers of the
heart. The mouths that were just now opened to
bless the Creator, will presently be opened again to
blaspheme and to curse him. The praises which
seemed so proper to please hhn in whose honor they
were offered, will incur this reproof, Thou ivicked
man ! What hast thou to do to take my covenant in thy
mouth 1 Psal. 1, 16>

The Manner of praising God, 429

My brethren, if we would join our voices with
those of angels, we must have the sentiments of
angels. We must, (at least, as far as the duty is
imitable by such frail creatures) we must, in or-
der to worship God as those happy spirits praise
him, love him as they do, serve him as they do,
devote ourselves to him as they devote them-
selves to him ; and this is the manner of praising
God, to which I exhort, and in Avhich I would en-
deavour to instruct you to-day, agreeably to the pro-
phet's exalted notions of it in the words of the text.
What day can be more proper to inspire such a no-
ble design ? What day can be more proper to engage
you to mix your worship with that of glorified in-
telligences, than this, on which we are come " unto
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
to an innumerable company of angels, and to the
church of the first-born which are written in hea-
ven ?" Heb. xii. 22, 23.

But, who are we, to be admitted into a society so
holy? Great God! Thou dost appear to us to-day,
as thou didst formerly to thy prophet, " sitting upon
a throne, high and lifted up, and thy train filling the
temple," Isa. vi. 1. Aroimd thee stand the sera-
phim, covering themselves with their wings in thy
majestic presence, and crying one to another, "Ho-
ly, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth
is full of his glory," ver. 3. We are stricken as
thy prophet was, with such a tremendous vision,
and each of us cries, with him, "Wo is me! I am
undone! 1 am a man of unclean lips! and yet, mine
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts," ver. 5.

430 The Manner of praising God.

O great God ! command one of thy seraphim to fly
to us as he flew to him ; bid him touch our mouths,
as he touched his, with " a live coal from off' thine
altar," ver. 6. and in this day of grace and mercy,
let him say to each of us, '"■ Lo, this hath touched
thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy
sin purged ! Amen," ver. 7.

Praise is comely for the upright. The praising of
God is a duty of which we may form two diff*erent
notions : a general, and a particular notion. By a
general notion of praise, I mean, the exercise of a
man, who, being capable of examining sublime ob-
jects, and of comprehending grand subjects, fixeth
his attention on the attributes of God, feels the force
of those proofs which establish the truth of them, is
delighted with them, to a certain degree, and is hap-
py in publishing their praise. I mean, by a partic-
ular notion of praising God, the exercise of a man,
who, having received some signal favour of God,
loves to express his gratitude for it.

Each of these exercises of praise supposeth reflec-
tions and sentiments. To praise God in the first
sense, to reflect on his attributes, to converse, and
to write about them, without having the heart affec-
ted, and without loving a being, who is described as
supremely amiable, is a lifeless praise, more fit for
a worldly philosopher than for a rational Christian.
To praise God in the second sense, to be affected
with tlie favours of God, without having any dis-
tinct notions of God, without knowing whether the
descriptions of the perfections that are attributed to
him be flights of fancy or real truths, is an exercise

The Manner of praisijig God, 431

more fit for a bigot, who believes without knowing
why, than for a spiritual man, who judgeth all things,
1 Cor. ii. 15. If we distinguish the part that these
two faculties, reflection and sentiment, take in these
two exercises of praise, Ave may observe, that the
first, I mean the praise of God taken in a general
sense, is the fruit of reflection, and the second of
sentiment. The first is, if I may be allowed to speak
so, the praise of the mind : the second is the praise
of the heart.

It is difficult to determine which of these tw^o no-
tions prevails in the text, whether the psalmist use
the word praise in the first, or in the second sense.
If we judge by the whole subject of the psalm, both
are included. The praise of the heart is easily dis-
covered. Whether the author of the psalm were
Hezekiah, as many of the fathers thought, who say
that this prince composed it after the miraculous de-
feat of Sennacherib : or whether, as it is most likely,
David w^ere the composer of it, after one of those
preternatural deliverances, with which his life was
so often signalized : what I call the praise of the
heart, that is, a lively sense of some inestimable bles-
sing, is clearly to be seen. On the other hand, it is
still clearer, that the sacred author doth not cel-
ebrate only one particular object in the psalm.
He gives a greater scope to his meditation, and
compriseth in it all the works, and all the perfections
of God.

Although the solemnity of this day calls us less
to the praise of the mind than to that of the heart;
although we intend to make the latter the principal

432 The 31anntr of praising God,

subject of this discourse ; yet it is necessary to at-
tend a little to the former.

I. The praise of the Lord, taking the word praise
in the vague sense that we have affixed to the term,
is comely for the upright : and it is comely for none
but for them.

" Praise is comely for the upright." Nothing is
more worthy of the attention of an intelligent be-
ing, particularly, nothing is more worthy of the
meditation of a superior genius, than the wonder-
ful perfections of the Creator. A man of superior
genius is required, indeed, to use his talents to cul-
tivate the sciences and the liberal arts : but, after
all, the mind of man, especially of that man to
whom God hath given superior talents, which assim-
ilate him to celestial intelligences, was not created
to unravel a point in chronology, to learn the dif-
ferent sounds by which different nations signify their
ideas, to measure a line, or to lose itself in an alge-
braic calculation ; the mind of such a man was not
created to study the stars, to count their number,
to measure their magnitude, to discover more than
have yet been observed. Nobler objects ought to
occupy him. It becomes such a man to contem-
plate God, to guide the rest of mankind, to lead
them to God, who " dwell eth in the light which no
man can approach unto," 1 Tim. vi. 16. and to teach
us to attenuate the clouds that hide him from our
feeble eyes. It becomes such a man to use that su-
periority which his knowledge gives him over us,
to elevate our hearts above the low region of ter-
restrial things, where they grovel with the brute

Tlie Manner of praising God. 435

beasts, and to help us to place tliem on the bright
abode of the itnrnortal God. The praise of the
Lord is comely for uprio;ht men.

But praise is comely only for upright men. I be-
lieve it is needless now to explain the word upright-
ness. The term is taken in the text in the noblest
sense : this is a sufficient explication, and this is suf-
ficient also to convince us, that the praising of God
is comely for none but upright men. I cannot see,
without indignation, a philosopher trifle witli the im-
portant questions tliat relate to the attributes of
God, and make them simple exercises of genius, in
w hich the heart hath no concern, examining wheth-
er there be a God, with the same indifference with
which he enquires whether there be a vacuum in
nature, or whether matter be infinitely divisible.
On determining the questions w hich relate to the di-
vine attributes depend our hopes and fears, the plans
that we must form, and the course of life which we
ought to pursue : and with these views we should
examine the perfections of God : these are conse-
quences that should follow our enquiries. AVith
such dispositions the psalmist celebrated the praises
of God, in the psalm out of which Ave have taken
the text. How comely are the praises of God in
the mouth of such a man !

l^et us follow the holy man a moment in his med-
itation. His psalm is not composed in scholastic
form, in which the author confines himself to fixed
rules, and scrupuh)usiy following a philosophical
method, lays down principles, and infers consequen-
ces. However, he establisheth principles, the most

VOL. I. 55

434 The Manner of praising God,

proper to give us sublime ideas of the Creator; and
he speaks with more precision of the works and at-
tributes of God than the greatest philosophers have
spoken of them.

How absurdly have philosophers treated of the ori-
gin of the world ? How few of them have reasoned
conclusively on this important subject? Our prophet
solves the important question by one single princi-
ple, and, what is more remarkable, this principle,
which is nobly expressed, carries the clearest evidence
with it. Tlie principle is this : By the word of the
Lord, were the heavens madt j and all the host of them
hy the breath of his mouth, ver. 6. This is the most
rational account that was ever given, of the creation
of the world. The w orld is the work of a self-effi-
cient Avill, and it is this principle alone that can ac-
count for its creation. The most simple appearan-
ces in nature are sufficient to lead us to this princi-
ple. Either my will is self-efficient, or there is some
other being whose will is self-efficient. What I say
of myself, I say of my parents, and what I affirm of
my parents, I affirm of my more remote ancestors,
and of all the finite creatures from whom they deriv-
ed their existence. Most certainly, either finite
beings have self-efficient wills, which it is impossi-
ble to suppose, for a finite creature with a self-effi-
cient will is a contradiction : either, I say, a finite
creature hath a self-efficient will ; or there is a first
cause who hatli a self-efficient will ; and that there
is such a being is the principle of the psalmist ; By
the word of the Lord were the heavens made ; and all
the host of them hy the breath of his mouth.

The Manner of praising God. 435

If philosophers have reasoned inconclusively on
the origin of the world, they have spoken of its
government with equal uncertainty. Tiie psalmist
determines this question with great facility, by a
single principle, which results from the former, and
^vhich, like the former, carries its evidence with it.
The Lord looketh from heaven : he considereih all
the works of all the inhabitants of the earthy Psalm
xxxiii. 13, 14. This is the doctrine of Providence.
And on what is the doctrine of Providence founded ?
On this principle : God fashioneth their hearts alike,
ver. 15. Attend a moment to the evidence of this
reasoning, my brethren. The doctrine of Provi-
dence, expressed in these words, God considereih the
works of the inhabitants of the earth, is a necessary
consequence of this principle, God fashioneth their
hearts cdike, and this principle is a necessary conse-
quence of that which the psahnist had before laid
dow n to account for the origin of the world. Yes !
from the doctrine of God the Creator of men, fol-
lows that of God the inspector, the director, reward-
er, and the punisher of their actions. One of the
most specious objections that hath ever been oppo-
sed to the doctrine of Providence, is a contrast be-
tween the grandeur of God and the meanness of
men. How can such an insignificant creature as
man be an object of the care and attention of such a
magnificent being as God? No objection can be
more specious, or, in appearance, more invincible.

The distance between the meanest insect and the
mightiest monarch, w^ho treads and crushes reptiles
to death witlwut the least regard to them, is a very

436 The Manner of praising God,

imperfect image of the distance between God and
man. That Avhich proves that it would be beneath
the dignity of a monarch to observe the motions of
ants, or worms, to interest himself in their actions,
to punish, or to reward them, seems to demonstrate,
that God would degrade himself were he to observe,
to direct, to punish, to reward mankind, who are
infinitely inferior to him. But one fact is sufficient
to answer this specious objection : That is, that God
bath created mankind. Doth God degrade himself
more by governing than by creating mankind ? Who
can persuade himself, that a wise Being hath given
to intelligent creatures faculties capable of obtain-
ing knowledge and virtue, without willing that they
should endeavour to acquire knowledge and virtue?
Or who can imagine, that a wise Being, w ho wilieth
that his intelligent creatures should acquire knowl-
edge and virtue, Avill not punish them, if they neglect
those acquisitions ; and w^ill not shew by the distribu-
tion of his benefits that he approves their endeavours
to obtain them ?

Unenlightened philosophers have treated of the at-
tributes of God with as much abstruse ness as they
have written of his w orks. The moral attributes of
God, as they are called in the schools, were myste-
ries w hich they could not unfold. These may be re-
duced to two classes : attributes of goodness, and attri-
butes of justiee. Philosophers, who have admitted
these, have usually taken that for granted which they
ought to have proved. They collected together in
their minds all perfections, they reduced them all to
one object, which they denommated a perfect being ;

The Manner of praising God. 437

and supposino;, williout proving, tliat a perfect Be-
ing existed, they attributed to liim, without proof,
every thing that they considered as a perfection.
The psalmist shews by a surer w ay that there is a
God supremely just, and supremely good. It is
necessary, in order to convince a rational being of
the justice and goodness of God, to follow such a
method as tl^at wliich we follow to prove his exist-
ence. Wlien we would prove the existence of God,
we say, there are creatures; therefore, tliere is a
Creator. In like tnanner, when we would prove,
that a creature is a just, and a good being, we say,
there are Cjualities of goodness and justice in crea-
tures ; therefore, he, from whom these creatures
derive their existence, is a Being just and good.
Now, this is the reasoning of the psalmist in this
psalm : The Lord loveth righteousness and judgment,
the earth isfidl of the goodness of the Lord, ver. 5.
that is to say, it is impossible to consider the works
of the Creator, without receiving evidence of his
goodness. And the works of nature, which demon-
strate the goodness of God, prove his justice also :
for God hath created us with such dispositions, that
we cannot enjoy the gifts of his goodness without
obeying the laws of his righteousness. The happi-
ness of an individual, who procures a pleasure by
disobeying the lavss of equity, is a violent happi-
ness, which cannot be of long duration : and the
prosperity of public bodies, when it is founded in
iniquity, is an editice, which with its basis will be
presently sunk and gone.

438 The Manner of praising God.

But what we would particularly remark is, that
the excellent principles of the psalmist, concerning
God, are not mere speculations : but truths from
which he derives practical inferences ; and he aims
to extend their influence beyond private persons,
even to legislators and conquerors. One would
think, considering the conduct of mankind that the
consequences, which are drawn from the doctrines
of which we have been speaking, belong to none
but to the dregs of the people ; that lawgivers and
conquerors have a plan of morality peculiar to
themselves, and are above the rules to which other
men must submit. Our prophet had other notions.
What are his maxims of policy ? They are all in-
cluded in these words: "Blessed is the nation whose
God is the Lord ; and the peopie whom he hath
chosen for his own inheritance," ver. 12. What
are his military maxims? They are all included in
these words : " There is no king saved by the mul-
titude of an host ; a mighty man is not delivered by
much strength : An horse is a vain thing for safety ;
neither shall he deliver any by his great strength,"
ver. 16, 17. Who propose th these maxims? A her-
mit, who never appeared on the theatre of the world?
or a man destitute of the talents necessary to shine
there ? No : one of the wisest of kings ; one of the
most bold and able generals ; a man, whom God has
self elected to govern his chosen people, and to com-
jnand those armies which fought the most obstinate
battles, and gained the most complete victories.
W^ere I to proceed in explaining the system of the
psalmist; I might prove, that as he had a right to in-

The Manner of praising God, 439

fer the doctrine of providence from tlie works of na-
ture, and that of the moral attributes of God from
the works of creation ; so, from the doctrines of the
moral attributes of God, of providence, and of Ihe
works of creation, he had a right to conclude, that
no conquerors or lawgivers could be truly happy
but those who acted agreeably to the laws of the
just and good Supreme. But I shall not enlarge on
this article.

Permit me only to place in one point of view the
different phrases by which the psalmist describes
the Deity in this psalm. " The eartli is full of the
goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord
were the heavens made : and all the host of them
by the breath of his mouth. He gatherelh the wa-
ters of the sea together, as an heap : he layeth up
the depth in storehouses. The Lord looketh from
heaven : he beholdeth all the sons of men. From
the place of his habitation he looked upon all the
inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts
alike; he considereth all their works," Psal. xxxiii.
.5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15. From these speculative ideas of
God, he derives the following rules of practice,
" Let all the earth fear the Lord : let all the inhabit-
ants of the world stand in awe of him. Our soul
waiteth for the Lord : he is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him : because we have
trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercv, O Lord,
be upon us according as we hope in thee," Psal.
xxxiii. 8, 20, 21, 22. How deliglitful it is, my breth-
ren, to speak of God, when one hath talents to speak
of him in such a noble manner, and when one intends

440 T'he Manner of praising God,

to promote the fear and the love of him, with an
universal obedience to him, from all that is said!
How well it becomes such a man to praise God ! The
praise of the Lord is comely in the mouths of upright
men.

11. Let us now apply the subject more immediate-
ly to the service of this day. To praise God is a
phrase, which is sometimes taken in a particular
sense, for the exercise of a person, who, having re-
ceived singular favours of God, delights in expres-
sing his gratitude to him. This praise is comely in
the mouth of an upright man for four reasons.

First, Because he arrange th them in their true or-
der, highly estimating what deserves a high esteem,
and most highly estimating what deserves the highest
esteem.

Secondly, Because he employs all his benefits in
the service of his benefactor.

Thirdly, Because, Avhile he recounts his blessings,
he divests himself of all merit, and ascribes them
only to the goodness of God from whom they pro-
ceed.

Fourthly, Because he imitates that goodness and
love, which inclined God to bless him in such a man-
ner.

I will affix to each of these reflections a single
word. Praise, or if you will, gratitude, is comely
for the upright, because it is wise, real, humble, and
magnanimous : In these four respects, /?m?5f is come-
ly for the upright. These are the sentiments with
which the august ceremony of which we have par-
taken this morning, should inspire us. These are

The 3Ianricr of praisins^ God, 441

the most important reflections with wiiich we can
close this discourse.

1. The o^ratitude of upright men is nise. The
praise of the Lord becomes them well, because, ^vhile
they bless God for all their mercies, they arrange
them in their proper order; they prize each accord-
ing to its real worth, and that most of all which is
of the greatest value. It is a very mortifying re-
flection, my brethren, that the more we study our-
selves, the more clearly we perceive, that the love
of the world, and of sensible things, is the chief
spring of all our actions and sentiments. This dis-
agreeable truth is proved, not only by the nature
of our vices, but even by the genius of our virtues ;
not only by the offences that we commit against
God, but by the very duties that we perform in his
service.

A person so ungrateful, as not to discover any
gratitude to God, when he bestows temporal bless-
ings on him, can scarcely be found. We praise
God, when he delivers us from any public calamity,
or from any domestic adversity ; when he recovers
us from dangerous illnesses ; when he raiseth us up
an unexpected friend, or a protector, who assists us;
when he sends us some prosperity, w hich renders
life more easy. In such cases as these, we render
an homage to God, th*at cannot be refused without
ingratitude.

But we are extremely blameable, when, while we
feel the value of these blessings, we remain insen-
sible of the w^orth of other blessings, which are in-
finitely more valuable, and which merit infinitely

VOL. T. ,16

442 The Manner of praisinsr God.

more gratitude. A blessing that directly regards the
soul, is more valuable than one which regards only
the body. A blessing, that regards our eternal hap-
piness, is of greater worth, than one which influenceth
only the happiness of this life. Whence is it then,
that, being so sensible of blessings of the first kind,
we are so little affected with those of the last ? How
comes it to pass, that we are so full of gratitude,
when God gives the state some signal victory ; when
he prospers its trade ; when he strengthens the bonds,
that unite it to powerful and faithful allies ; and so
void of it, while he continues to grant it the greatest
blessing that a society of rational creatures can en-
joy, I mean a liberty to serve God according to the
dictates of our own consciences ? Whence is it, that
we are so very thankful to God for preserving our
lives from the dangers that daily threaten them ; and
so little thankful for his miraculous patience with
us, to which it is owing, that, after we have harden-
ed our hearts against his voice one year, he invites
us another year ; after we have falsified our promi-
ses made on one solemnity, he calls us to another
solemnity, and giveth us new opportunities of being
more faithful to him ? Whence comes this difference?
Follow it to its source. Does it not proceed from
what we just now said ? Is not love of the world,
and of sensible things, the* grand spring of our
actions and sentiments ? The world, the world ;
lo! this is the touchstone by which we judge of good
and evil!

An upright man judgeth in another manner : he
will, indeed, bless God for all his benefits ; but, as

The Manner of praising God. 443

he knows how to arrange them, so he knows how to
prize each according to its worth, and how to ap-
portion his esteem to the real value of them all.

According to such an estimation, what ought not
our gratitude to God to be to-day, my dear brethren!
we may assure ourselves with the utmost truth, that
had the Lord united in our hoiises to-day pleasures,
grandeurs, and dignities ; had he promised each of us
a life longer than that of a patriarch ; a family as
happy as that of Job, after his misfortunes ; glory
as great as that of Solomon ; he would have bestow-
ed nothing equal to that blessing which he gave us
this morning. He forgave those sins, which, had
they taken their natural course, would have occasion-
ed endless remorse, and would have plunged us in-
to everlastmg misery and woe. A peace was shed
abroad in our consciences, which gave us a foretaste
of heaven. He excited hopes, that absorbed our
souls in their grandeur. Let us say all in one word :
he gave us his Son. " He tiiat spared not liis own
Son, how shall he not with him also freely give us
all things?" Rom. viii. 32.

2. The gratitude of upright men is real. The
praise of the Lord becomes them, because, while
they praise God for his benefits, they live to the
glory of their benefactor. Every gift of God fur-
nisheth us with both a motive and a mean of obedi-
ence to him. It is an excess of ingratitude to make
a contrary use of his gifts, and to turn the benefits
that we receive against the benefactor from whom
we receive them. What gifts are they by which
God hath most distinguished us ? Thee he hath

444 The Manner of praising God.

distinguished by a penetrating genius, which ren-
ders the highest objects, tlie deepest mysteries, ac-
cessible to thee. Wo be to thee ! if thou employ
this gift to invent arguments against the truths of
religion, and to find out sophisms that befriend in-
fidelity. An upright man devotes this gift to the
service of his benefactor ; he avails himself of his
genius, to discover the folly of sceptical sophisms,
and to demonstrate the truth of religion. On thee
he hath bestowed an astonishing memory. Wo be
to thee ! if thou use it to retain the pernicious
maxims of the world. An upright man dedicates
this gift to his benefactor ; he employs his memory
in retaining the excellent lessons of equity, charity,
and patience, which the Holy Spirit liath taught him
in the scriptures. To- thee he hath given an author-
itative elocution, to which every hearer is forced
to bow. Wo be to thee ! if thou apply this rare ta-
lent to seduce the minds, and to deprave the hearts,
of mankind. An upright man devotes this blessing
to the service of his benefactor ; he useth his elo-
quence to free the minds of men from error, and
their lives from vice. Towards thee God hath ex-
ercised a patience, which seems contrary to his usu-
al rules of conduct towards sinners, and by which he
hath abounded towards thee in forbearance and long-
suffering. W^o be to thee ! if thou turn this bless-
ing to an opportunity of violating the commands of
God ; if thine obstinacy rim parallel with his pa-
tience, and if, " because sentence against an evil
work is not executed speedily," thy heart be fulhj
set in thee to do evil, Eccl, viii. 1 1 . An upright man

The Manner of praising God. 44.'}

devotes Ibis blessino; to bis benefactor's service.
From tbe patience of God be derives motives of re-
pentance. How easily mio;bt tliis article 1>e enlarg-
ed! bow fruitful in instruction would it be on tbis
solemnity ! But we proceed.

3. Gratitude to God well becomes an uprigbt man,
because it is Immhle ; because an upriglit man, by
publisbing tbe gifts of God's grace, divests bimsclf
of bimself, and attributes tbem wbolly to tbe good-
ness of bim from whom tbey came. Far from us be
a profane mixture of tbe real grandeurs of tbe Cre-
ator witb tbe fanciful grandeurs of creatures! Far
be tbose praises, in wbicb be wbo offers tbeui always
finds, in bis ow n excellence, tbe motives tbat indu-
ced tbe Lord to bestow his benefits on bim !

Two reflections always exalt tbe gifts of God in
tbe eyes of an uprigbt man: a reflection on his mean-
ness, and a reflection on bis unwortbiness ; and it is
with tbis comeliness of humility, if I may venture to
call it so, tbat I wish to engage you to praise God
for tbe blessings of tbis day.

1. Meditate on your meanness. Contrast your-
selves with God, who gives bimself to you to-day in
such a tender manner. How soon is tbe capacity
of man absorbed in the works and attributes of God !
Conceive, if thou be capable, tlie grandeur of a Be-
ing, wbo " made tbe heavens by his word, and all
the host of tbem by tbe breath of bis mouth." Think,
if thou be capable of thinking, of the glory of a Be-
ing, wlio existed from all eternity, whose understand-
ing is infinite, and whose power is irresistible, w hose
will is above controul. Behold bim filling the whole

446 The Manner of praising God,

universe with his presence. Behold him in the pal-
ace of his glory, inhabiting the praises of the bless-
ed, surrounded by thousand thousands, and by ten
thousand times ten thousand angels, who excel in
strength, and who delight to fly at the first signal of
his will. Thou human soul ! contemplate this ob-
ject, and recover thy reason. What art thou ? What
was thine origin ? What is thine end ? Thou dimin-
utive atom ! great only in thine own eyes ; behold
thyself in thy true point of view. Dust ! Ashes !
Putrefaction ! glorious only at the tribunal of thine
own pride; divest thyself of the tawdry grandeur in
w^hich thou lovest to array thyself. Thou vapour !
Thou dream ! Thou exhalation of the earth ! evap-
orating in the air, and having no other consistence
than what thine own imagination gives thee; behold
thy vanity and nothingness. Yet this dream, this
exhalation, this vapour, this dust and ashes and pu-
trefaction, this diminutive creature, is an object of
the eternal care and love of its God. For thee, con-
temptible creature ! the Lord stretched out the hea-
vens : for thee he laid the foundation of the earth :
let us say more, For thee, contemptible creature !
God formed the plan of redemption. What could
determine the ^reat Jehovah to communicate him-
self, in such a tender and intimate manner, to so con-
temptible a creature as man ? His goodness, his
goodness alone.

Although a sense of our meanness should not ter-
rify and confound us, yet it should exclude arro-
gance, and excite lowly sentiments : But what will our
humility be, if we estimate the gifts of God's grace

The Manner of praising God. 4 47

by an idea of our unworthiness 1 Let each recollect
the mortifying history of his own life. Reineml>er,
thou! thy fiery youth, in which, for«:ettino; all tlic
piinciples, that thy pious parents liad taught thee,
thou didst acknowledge no law but thine own pas-
sionate and capi'icious will. Remember, thou ! that
period, in which thy heart being infatuated with one
object and wholly employed about it, thou didst
make it thine idol, and didst sacrifice to it thine hon-
our, thy duty, thy God. Recollect, thou ! the cruel
use, that for many years thou didst make of thy cred-
it, thy riches, thy rank, when, being devoured with
self-love, thou wast insensible to the voice of the
widow and the orphan, and to a number of distres-
sed people, w ho solicited relief Remember thou !
that fatal hour, the recollection of which ought to
make thy head, waters, and thine eyes a fountain of
tears, Jer. ix. 1. that fatal hour, in which, God hav-
ing put thee into the fiery trial of persecution, thou
couldst not abide the proof. Like Peter, thou didst
not know a disgraced Redeemer ; thou didst coward-
ly abandon a persecuted church, and wast just on the
point of abjuring thy religion. Let each of us so
consider himself as he seems in the eyes of a holy
God. A criminal worthy of the most rigorous punish-
ments ! Let each of us say to himself. Notwithstand-
ing all this, it is I, guilty I, I, wliose sins are more in
number than the hairs on my head ; it is I, w ho have
been admitted this morning into the house of God ;
it is I, who have been invited this morning to that
mystical repast, Avhich sovereign wisdom itself pre-
pared ; it is I, Avho have been encouraged against the

448 The Manner of praisino: God,

just fears, wliich the remembrance of my sins had ex-
cited, and have heard the voice of God, proclaiming
in my conscience, " Fear not thou worm, Jacob,"
Isa. xli. 14. It is I, who have been " abundant! v
satisfied with the fatness of the house" of God, and
have " drunk of the river of his pleasures," Ps. xxxvi.
8. What inclines God to indulge me in this manner ?
Goodness only ! O surpassing and inconceivable good-
ness ! thou shalt for ever be the object of my medi-
tation and gratitude ! " How excellent is ihy loving-
kindness, O God !" ver. 7. These are the sentiments
that ought to animate our praise to-day. Such praise
is comely for the upright.

Finally, the gratitude of an upright man is nohle
and magnanimous. The praise of God well becomes
the mouth of an upright man, because he takes the
love of God to him for a pattern of his behaviour to
his fellow creatures. St. Paul hath very emphatical-
ly expressed the happy change w^hich the gospel
produceth in true Christians. " We all with open
face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image, from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii.
18. Some commentators, instead of reading vje all
heholding as in a glass, as the expression is rendered
in our translation, render the words, we all becoming
mirrors. I Avill not undertake to prove that this is
the meaning of the term : it is certainly the sesise
of the apostle."* He means to inform us, that the

* The idea of rejiecting, while one contemplates, the attributes
of God,, is a very fine thought, and fully expressive of the be-
nevolent effects which Christianity produceth in its disciples : But

The Manner of praising God, 449

impression, which the evangelical display of the per-
fections of God makes on the soUls of believers, en-
graves them on their minds, and renders them like
minors, that reflect the rays, and the objects which
are placed opposite to them, and represent their
images. " They behold the glory of the Lord with
open face. They are changed from glory to glory
into the same hnage, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord." I wish, my brethren, that the impression,
which was made on you by the generosity and mag-
nanimity of God, who loaded you this morning
with his gracious benefits, may transform you to-day
" into the same image from glory to gloiy." I w ould
animate you w^ith this, the most noble, the most sub-
lime, the most comfortable, way of praising God.

What gave you so much peace and pleasure this
morning, in what God did for you ? Was it the par-
don of your sins ! Imitate it ; pardon your brethren.

Mr. Saurin, whose busino.ss as a Christian minister was not with
the fine ^ but the true^ only meant, by what he had said above, that
it was agreeable to the general design of the apostle. Erasmus
was the first who translated St. Paul's term tcujcTrl^i^of^evot in
speculo reprxsentantes. Beza renders it, in speculo intuentes^
and the French bibles have it, nous contemfilons comme en un
miroir. Our author was delighted with the ingenuity of Eras-
tnus, however, he could not accede to his translation, because,
1. He could meet witli no Greek author, cotemporary with St.
Paul, who had used the term in the sense of Erasmus. 2. Be-
cause he could not perceive any connection between that signifi-
cation and the phrase ivith ojien face. He abode therefore by the
usual reading. See Serm. Tom. ix. S. viii. My idea of an ob-
ject pleases me, therefore it is a true idea of it, is contemptible
logic : yet how many pretended articles of religion have arisen
from this way of reasoning I
TOL. I. 57

450 The Manner of praising God,

Was it his past forbearance with you ? Itiiitate it ;
moderate that impatience which the ingratitude of
your brethren excites in your minds. Was it that
spirit of coiumunication, which disposed a God, who
is all sufficient to his own happiness, to go out of
himself, as it Avere, and to communicate his felicity
to creatures ? Imitate it ; go out of those intrench-
ments of prosperity in which ye lodge, and impart
yom- benefits to your brethren. AVas it the contin-
ual watchfulness of God for the salvation of your
souls ? Imitate it ; exert yourselves for the salvation
of the souls of your brethren ; suffer not those, who
are united to you by all the ties of nature, society,
and religion, to perish through your lukewarmness
and negligence. While ye triumphantly exclaim,
on this solemn festival, " Let us make a joyful noise
to the Rock of our salvation," Ps. xcv. 1. remem-
ber your persecuted brethren, to whom God refuseth
this pleasure ; remember the ways of Zion, that
" moiu'n because none come to the solemn feasts,"
Lam. L 4.

My brethren, how pleasing is a Christian festival !
How comfortable the institution, to which we were
this morning called ! But, I remember here a saying
of Jesus Christ to his apostles, " I have other sheep,
w hich are not of this fold : them also I must bring,
and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd," John
x. 16. Alas! we also have sheep in another fold.
When shall we have the comfoii of bringing them
into this ? Ye divided families ! who are present in
this assembly, when will ye be united ? Ye children
of the reformation I whom the misfortunes of the

The Manner of praising God. 451

times have torn from us ; ye dear paiis of ourselves !
when will ye come to us ? AVhen will ye be re-gath-
ered to the flock of the great Shepherd and bishop of
our souls ? When will ye shed in our assemlilies tears
of repentance, for having lived so long without a
church, Avithout sacraments, without public worship I
When will ye shed tears of joy for having recovered
these advantages ?

Great God ! Thou great God ivho hidest thyself!
is it to extingiush, or to inflame our zeal, that thou
delayest the happy period ? Are our hopes suspend-
ed or confounded? God grant, my dear brethren,
that the praise, which we render to the Lord for all
his benefits, may obtain their continuance and in-
crease ! And God grant, while he giveth us our lives
for a prey, Jer. xxi. 9. that those of our brethren
may be given us also ! To him be honour and glory
forever! Amen.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

I

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