wifeft of the antient philofophers in this matter) appears to be undeniably agreeable to the natural expectations of right reafon, and fuitable to the best and worthieft notions that men have ever by the light of nature been able to frame to themselves concerning the attributes and perfections of God. "If ye," fays our Saviour, "being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, "how much more fhall your heavenly father give the holy spirit to "them that afk him?" Luke xi. 13. The effect of this divine affistance evidenced itself in a very vifible and remarkable manner in the primitive times, by the fudden wonderful and total reforination of far greater numbers of wicked men than ever were brought to repentance by the teaching and exhortations of all the philofophers in the world. And even at this day, notwithstanding all the corruptions introduced among Chriftians, I think it can hardly be denied by any unbelievers of revelation, but that there are among us many more perfons of all conditions who worship God in fincerity and fimplicity of heart, and live in the conftant practice of all righteoufnefs, holiness, and true virtue, than ever were found in any of the most civilized nations, and most improved by philofophy in the Heathen world. * 3. OF THE CLEAR DISCOVERY OF FUTURE REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS, AS ANOTHER MOTIVE TO OBEDIENCE. The rewards and punishments, which the Chriftian religion propofes to obedience or difobedience, are a motive perfectly agrecable to men's natural hopes and fear, and worthy of God to make known by pofitive and exprefs revelation. For fince it is confeffedly fuitable to the divine wisdom, to make variety of creatures endued with very different powers and faculties, and capable of very different kinds and degrees of improvements; and fince all rational creatures, by reafon of that natural liberty of will which is effentially neceffary to their being fuch, cannot but be capable of exalting and improving their nature by the practice of virtue and the imitation of God, and on the contrary of depraving and debafing their nature by the practice of vice and alienation of themfelves from God; it follows undeniably (as has been before fhewn by a more particular deduction) that it is highly agreeable to the light of nature and to right reafon to fuppofe, that God, the fupreme governor and dispofer of all things, will finally make a juft and fuitable diftinction between his creatures, by the diftribution of proportionable rewards and punishments. Nevertheless, both the truth itself of thefe final rewards and punishments was fo far called in queftion, and rendered doubtful and uncertain, by the difputations even of the wifeft philofophers that ever lived; and thofe who did in general believe the truth and certainty of them had fo very blind and obfcure notions of what nature and kind they were to be, having their. "Da mihi virum, qui fit iracundus, maledicus, effrænatus; tam placidum, quam ovem, reddam. Da libidinofum, &c." Παρὰ μὲν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν εἷς τις, &ς. Οrigen, adverf. Celf, lib above, p. 203. I. pauciffimis Dei verbis Lactant. lib. III. See this paflage cited imagination imagination ftrangely prejudiced with poetical fictions and fabulous ftories, that the fetting this matter clear and right, and the supplying this fingle defect in the light of nature, was a thing highly worthy of divine revelation: it being plainly a very different thing, and of very different force as to the influencing men's actions, for men to be able to argue themselves into a reasonable expectation of future rewards and punishments, and to be certainly affured of the reality of them by exprefs teftimony of divine revelation. And accordingly by divine revelation in the gospel this defect of the light of nature is now actually fupplied in fuch a manner, life and immortality are fo brought to light, and the wrath of God is fo revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteoufnefs of men, that this very thing, the clear and diftinct and confiftent account which the gofpel gives us of these final rewards and punishments (which, though indeed in themselves fo abfolutely neceffary, that without them no tolerable vindication could be made of the attributes of God, yet neither by the light of nature, nor by any pofitive inftitution of religion, excepting only the Chriftian, were they ever fo clearly and plainly reprefented to mankind, as to have their full and proper effect upon the hearts and lives of men); this very thing (I fay) the clear, diftinct, and confiftent account, which the gofpe give us of these final rewards and punishments, is itself no contemptible argument of the truth and divine authority of the Chriftian revelation. By the certain knowledge of these rewards and punishments it is, that the practice of virtue is now established upon a fure foundation. Men have now abundantly fufficient encouragement to fupport them in their choice of virtue, and in their conftant adherence to it in all cafes and under all circumstances that can be fuppofed. There is now fufficient weight on the fide of virtue, to enable men to conquer all the temptations of the devil, the flesh, and the world, and to defpife the fevereft threatenings, even death itfelf. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. The only difficulty in this matter, arifing from the duration of the final punishment of the wicked, fhall be confidered when I come to difcourfe of the articles of our belief, XII. Thirdly, the peculiar manner and circumftançes, with which the Chriftian religion enjoins the duties, and urges the motives before-mentioned, are exactly confonant to the dictates of found reafon, or the unprejudiced light of nature, and most wisely perfective of it. THE PROPOSITION PROVED BY PARTICULAR INSTANCES. For, what can be more agreeable to the light of nature, and more evidently perfective of it, than to have thofe duties, which nature hints at only in general, explained fully and largely, and urged in particular, and inculcated upon the meaneft capacities with great weight and authority, and exemplified in the lives of holy perfons proposed as patterns for our imitation? What can be more perfective of the light of nature than to have those great motives of religion, religion, the rewards and punishments of a future ftate which nature only obfcurely points at, described to us moft plainly, affectionately, and lively? what can be more perfective of the light of nature, than to have the means of atoning for fin, which nature difcovers only the want of, plainly declared and exhibited to us? what can be more perfective of the light of nature, than such a difcovery of the heinoufnefs of fin and the neceffity of holiness, as the death of Chrift and the purity of the gofpel does make unto us? In fine, what can more effectually perfect the religion of nature, than the gathering together the worfhippers of the true God into one body? the caufing them to enter into folemn obligations, to live fuitably to their holy profeffion? the giving them gracious affurances, that true repentance fhall be accepted for what is past, and sincere renewed obedience for the future? the uniting them by a few pofitive rites in one religious as well as civil communion, for mutual affiftance and improvement? and the establishing a certain order of perpetual fucceffion of men, whofe conftant bufinefs it may be to explain the great duties of religion to perfons of meaner capacities, to urge and enforce the practice of them, to fet before men the reafons of their duty, and the neceffity of it; to fhew them clearly and impartially the danger of neglecting it, and the great advantage of performing it fincerely; in a word, to inftruct the ignorant, and to admonifh the wicked, to reduce those that err, to comfort the doubting, to reprove the obftinate, and to be inftruments of conveying to men all proper affiftances to enable them to perform their whole duty effectually? If these things be the ordinances of one who came to contradict the dictates of right reason, and not to perfect the law of nature, but to deftroy it; then let all wife men for ever forsake the assemblies of Chriftians, and profefs themfelves again difciples of the philofophers. But if thefe things be perfectly agreeable to nature and right reason, and tend exceedingly to the fupplying the deficiencies thereof; then let none, under pretence of maintaining natural religion, revile and blafpheme the Chriftian, left they be found liars unto God. AN ANSWER TO THE OBJECTION DRAWN FROM THE DIVI- The many contentions, indeed, about opinions of great uncer- a fufficient a fufficient rule, to enable fincere perfons, in the midst of the greateft difputes and contentions, to diftinguish the doctrine which is of God, from the opinions of men; the doctrine of Chrift having been plainly and fully delivered in our Saviour's own difcourfes, and in the writings of his immediate followers the apoftles, who cannot with any reafon be imagined either to have mifrepresented it, or to have reprefented it imperfectly. But, befides, I think it can hardly be denied, even by our adverfaries themselves, but that, in all times and places wherein Chriftianity has been profeffed in any tolerable degree of purity, whatever contentions and difputes may have arifen about particular, and perhaps unneceffary doctrines, yet the great, the most neceffary, and fundamental doctrines of religion, concerning God and providence, concerning the gracious method of God's reconciliation with penitent finners, concerning the neceffity of true piety, righteoufnefs, and fobriety, concerning a judgement to come, and the final reward of the righteous, and the punishment of wicked men, in fuch a manner as will effectually vindicate both the juftice and goodnefs, the wisdom and honour of God; these things (I fay) have, notwithstanding all differences concerning fmaller matters, been nevertheless at the fame time univerfally and conftantly taught, preffed, and inculcated upon perfons of all capacities by the earnest and continual preaching of all the minifters of the gofpel, with an effect infinitely more confiderable and vifible, both in extent and duration, than by the teaching of any heathen philofophers that ever lived. Which fhews undeniably the excellency at leaft, if not the divine authority, of the Chriftian inftitution, in this particular respect. XIII. Fourthly: all the [credenda, or] doctrines, which the true, fimple, and uncorrupted Chriftian religion teaches (that is, not only thofe plain doctrines which it requires to be believed as fundamental · and of neceffity to eternal falvation, but even all the doctrines which it teaches as matters of truth) are, though indeed many of them not difcoverable by bare reafon unaffifted with revelation, yet, when difcovered by revelation, apparently moft agreeable to found unprejudiced reafon, have every one of them a natural tendency, and a direct and powerful influence, to reform men's minds and correct their manners, and do together make up an infinitely more confiftent and rational scheme of belief, than any that the wifeft of the ancient philofophers ever did, or the cunningeft of modern unbelievers can invent or contrive. 1. OF THE ONE SUPREME GOD. That there is one only living and true God, exifting of himself by the neceffity of his own nature, abfolutely independent, eternal, omniprefent, unchangeable, incorruptible, without body, parts, or paffions, of infinite power, knowledge, and wisdom, of perfect liberty and freedom of will, of infinite goodness, juftice, and truth, and all other poñible perfections; so as to be abfolutely felf-fufficient to his own infinite and unalterable happiness: this is, not only the firit firft and principal article of the Chriftian faith, but also the firft and most evident truth that the light of nature itself teaches us; being clearly demonftrable upon certain and undeniable principles of right reason. 2. OF THE ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. That this fupreme felf-exiftent Cause and Father of all things did before all ages, in an incomprehenfible manner, by his almighty power and will, beget or produce a divine perfon; ftyled the Logos, the Word, or Wisdom, or Son, of God; God *, of God; in whom dwells the fulness of divine perfections (excepting abfolute fupremacy, independency, or felf-origination), being " the image of the "invifible God;" Col. i. 15. the "brightnefs of his Father's glory, "and the exprefs image of his perfon;" Heb. i. 3. 'Araúyaoμa tñS dóğm aútữ• having been "in the beginning with God,” John i. 2. xvii. 5. partaker with him of his glory before the world was; "the upholder of all things by the word of his power;" Heb. i. 3. and himself "over all" (by communication of his Father's glory and dominion) "God bleffed for ever." Rom. ix. 5. and John i. 1. this doctrine (I fay), though not indeed difcoverable by bare reafon, yet, when made known by revelation, appears plainly very confiftent with right reafon, and (it is manifeft) contains nothing that implies any manner of abfurdity or contradiction in it. Indeed, if any men, pretending to be wife above and beyond what is written, have at any time given fuch explications of the manner how the Son of God derived his being from the Father, or have of fered fuch accounts of his nature and attributes as can by any just and neceffary confequence be reduced to imply or involve any contradiction (which perhaps many of the † fchoolmen have but too justly been accused of doing); fuch explications are without all controverfy falfe, and very injurious to religion, But as this doctrine is delivered in Scripture, I think, there is nothing in it in any degree contrary to right reafon, as I have elsewhere endeavoured to fhew in a particular Difcourfe, to which I refer the reader. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Now the fame that is faid of the Son may in like manner, with little variation, be, very agreeably to right reafon, understood concerning the original proceffion or manner of derivation of the Holy Spirit likewife from the Father. "It is not to be denied but that the fchoolmen, who abounded in wit and leifure, though very few among them had either exact skill in the holy Scriptures, or in ecclefiaftical antiquity, and the writings of the antient Fathers of the Christian church: I fay, it 66 cannot be denied but that thefe fpeculative and very acute men, who wrought a great "part of their divinity out of their own brains, as fpiders do cobwebs out of their own "bowels, have started a thoufand fubtilties about this myftery, fuch as no Christian is "bound to trouble his head withal; mach lefs is it neceffary for him to understand those "niceties, which we may reasonably presume that they who talk of them did themfelves never thoroughly understand; and leaft of all is it neceffary to believe them." Abp. Tillotson, Sermon concerning the Unity of the Divine Nature. "It were to be wifhed, that fome Religionists did not here fymbolize too much with the "Atheists, in affecting to represent the mystery of the Chriftian Trinity as a thing di. rectly contradictory to all human reafon and understanding." Cudworth's System, p. 560. ests ix est, in contradiftinction to Abribes. |