SERM. V. whole World. For if God be FOR us, it will in a short Time signify little or nothing, who was against us: But if He be against us, what will it signify, who was for us? Our Communication and Intercourse with our nearest and dearest Relations may be intercepted by our Misfortunes : But our Intercourse with the nearest Object of all, even Him, in whom we live, and move, and have our Being, cannot be intercepted but by our Vices. He who never faileth them that feek him, will never forJake us, till we forsake Him and Virtue. He is, according to the expreffive Description of St. John, Light and Love, pure unclouded Light, without any Mixture of Darkness and Ignorance; and pure unallayed Love, without any Tincture of Malice and Hatred: He knows whatever is really Good for us; and will do whatever in his unerring Judgment is most effectually conducive to our Good, making every disastrous Incident finally terminate in our Benefit.

SERMON

The intrinfic Excellency of the Scriptures, a Proof of their divine Inspiration.

In Two SERMONS.

I PETER III. 15.

Be ready always to give an Answer to every
Man that asketh you a Reason of the
Hope, that is in you.

I

T is surprising to observe, what a close Serm. VI.
Connexion and Alliance one material

Truth has with another. Thus, for Instance, that there is a God, those manifest Traces of infinite Wisdom, which appear through the whole Oeconomy of Nature, sufficiently make out. The whole World is in this Respect, as it were, one great Temple, where, as in the Jewish,

the Shechinah or divine Presence shines confeft

M 4

SERM. VI. confest in a visible Glory. The fame Arguments, that prove our own Existence, demonftrate God's. How do we prove there is a vital Principle within any Perfon? Why, because he moves, he thinks and acts: And can we from these Operations conclude there subsists within us a Principle, which actuates and informs the Body: And shall we not from the stupendous Operations of the Universe conclude, there is a Being that actuates and invigorates all Nature*? Matter cannot be a necessarily existent Being. Because that alone is neceffarily existent, which exists immutably, and cannot but be, what it is. Whereas, on the other Hand, Matter does not perfift in an uniform State of Being, but is liable to Changes, and admits of new Modifications. The infinite Variety, that there is in the World, which shews a manifold Wisdom, is no more consistent with the Scheme of unintelligent Neceffity; than Regularity, Uniformity and Design is with that of Chance.

And

And if there be a God, there must be SERM. VI

fome Religion; or, in other Words, some Homage must be due from an indigent and dependent Creature, to his great Creator, Preserver and Benefactor. And if some Religion be necessary, it must be one that is sufficient, or is sufficiently calculated for the Generality of Mankind. Now, that natural Religion, or that Religion, which the Light of Nature dictates, is not fuffi ciently calculated for the Generality of Mankind, is evident from hence; that to trace a confiderable Number of Doctrines up to the Fountain-Head from which they flow, by the Strength of unaffifted Reafon, and to pursue them to their remotest Confequences, is a Task at least extremely difficult to Men of Letters, but I may venture to say impracticable to the Ignorant. Besides, pure natural Religion is a mere Utopian Scheme, which may perhaps have existed in the Minds of some few recluse contemapparet, nec cernitur: proinde quafi noftram ipsam men. tem, quâ sapimus, quâ providemus, quâ hæc ipsa agimus ac dicimus, videre, aut plane qualis, aut ubi fit, sentire possumus. Cicero pro Milone. Unde scis tibi inesse vitale Principium? Refpondebis, quia loquor, quia ambulo, quia operor. Stulte, ex operibus corporis agnofcis viventem ex operibus Creationis non agnofcis Creatorem? S. Auguftinus.

plative

SERM. VI. plative Men, but was never in Fact established in any one Nation from the Foundation of the World to the present Times. As certain as it is, that there is a God; so certainly must he will the Belief and Practice of fome Religion : the Belief of fome Religion, and a Practice conformable to that Belief, being neceffary to the Good of Mankind. And as certainly as he wills the Belief and Practice of fome Religion; he must will the Belief and Prac-> tice of the best Religion: And what Religion is there, that equals or rivals the Christian Revelation?

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Such Reflections, as these, enable us, in some Measure, to act in Conformity to the Apostle's Advice; they make us ready to give an Answer to every Man that afketh us a Reason of the Hope, or, as the Word here fignifies, of the Faith, that is in us..

I should enter into too spacious a Field, if I attempted to do Justice to all the Proofs of Revelation: It shall therefore be my Business at present to dwell upon that Argument, which may be drawn from the intrinfic Excellency of revealed Religion.

In the Profecution of which Design,

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