he was indeed the creator, and confequently the abfolute proprietor of heaven and earth. To which might be added, the aflonishing manner in which the Ifraelites were brought into the poffeffion of the land of Canaan, the appearances he made in their favour, and his conduct toward them all along to the captivity. In their history we have not only the fullest documents of a particular providence; but, in numerous inftances, the exertion of a power fo fimilar to that of creation, as leaves no room to doubt of it.

And hence we find the prophets, in his name, always making God and the creator fynonymous terms; and the God of Ifrael proving himself the only true God, by his being creator; and his being creator, by declaring not only what was past, but likewife what was to come; which we may fay, with affurance, could not be done, unless he had the direction of all in his own hands.

It is from these plain facts that the divine character is adjusted in the facred writings, and his perfections deduced and inftructed, in the fimplest and easiest manBb 2

ner,

ner, perfectly level to the very meanest capacities,

8. The character of the Deity as Creator, and the state of the creature arifing from it.

T

Hough the invisible God can by no

means be perceived by men, until he manifefts himself by fuch works and ways as can fall under our obfervation, nor any farther than he thus manifefts himfelf; yet fo far as we can be fure that fuch works are really his, we may thence gather as much of his real character as is difcovered in them, in the fame manner as we form the characters of men by their works and ways. And when he is once known to be the creator of all, and that the ftupendous frame of this univerfe was raifed by him out of nothing; that is, without any matter to work upon, or instruments to work by; we have the higheft demonstration of almighty power that can poffibly be imagined. But this must have appeared impoffible to every created mind; as it did to the wifeft of the ancient philofophers, and must have done fo

to

to all their fucceffors, had not their minds been opened and enlightened, as they now are, by analogous facts recorded in the most authentic and beft-vouched history that ever was written. For though it may be pretended, that the creation of a finite world will not be a proper evidence of infinite power; yet it is a strong prefumption, that there is nothing impoffible with God: and befides, as there is nothing in being but what he brought into existence, there can be nothing to limit his powers, but his own perfect wisdom and underftanding; by which he must know perfectly what is fit and proper to be done.

I fay, his perfect wifdom and underftanding, which must bear an exact proportion to his power. Every defect is an imperfection; and every imperfection implies a limitation; and confequently a defect of power: fo that, in truth, whatever fome minute philofophers have furmised to the contrary, perfect power carries in it abfolute perfection of every kind. Nor can it be otherwife: For there is nothing knowable but himself, and the things which he hath made. None who believes the creator to be an intelligent being, can

fufpect

fufpect his want of a perfect knowledge of himself, and his own perfections and powers: and fure he must have the most perfect and thorough knowledge of what himself hath made.

In this comprehenfive knowledge is founded what we call wisdom; which indeed is no more but the knowledge of what is fit and proper to be done; or, what are the best and most excellent defigns, and the fittest and moft proper means for effecting them. There have been a set of men, who, in the pride of what they call philofophy, have boldly taken upon them to chalk out the meafures of divine wifdom, and to define pofitively what the creator may or may not do; and if their measures are not precisely obferved, to give names to his conduct not fit to be repeated. The fum of all comes to this: That were the creator no wiser, and knew no better, than they, he would think and act as they imagine he fhould. And pitiable indeed would the world be under fuch direction.

But we are not left to the imaginations of men in forming our conceptions of divine wisdom. We have it fairly fet before us in the frame of this fenfible universe;

and,

and, by the work, may judge of him who wrought it. But how little can we make of it? Some of the grofs outlines which fall under our obfervation, the wonderful mechanism of vegetable and animal bodies, and much more the ftupendous mechanifm of the heavens, under the influence of which all is managed and directed, have ftrangely raised the pride of philosophy : but how unjustly do they value themfelves on their pretended knowledge; while the fecret fprings, by which all is directed, arc as much hid from them as from the meanest of the vulgar? These remain ftill, and are like to remain for ever, the subject of astonishment and admiration of that inconceivable wisdom which erected the ftupendous machine, and established every part in fuch exactnefs of order, that nothing. but ignorance, and its common attendant vanity, can find the leaft flaw or weaknefs in it. The man who certainly knows what purposes the creator defigned to answer by the order he has cftablished, which men learned to call by the unmeaning word nature, and the course of nature, may, and he only can, pretend to judge of the works of God.

Perfect