them to moral and religious purposes. Of all the great scientific and technical improvements how few have originated from elaborate reasoning with a design to invent something new and great? And how small a

the mind that we are apt to suppose every one hath a power of first inventing or discovering them without any assistance. This is the case with most of the great truths in nature, religion and morality. Inattention to the difference between a pow-proportion of them have come er of discovering truth, and of from men most eminent in reaseeing its certainty and fitness soning abilities? Accident and when discovered, hath been a experience are the great sources source of many errors in religion. of natural improvement. In the On the one hand, supposing progress of arts, small circummen able originally to discover stances the most exalted truths respecting the Godhead hath been urged against the need of a revelation. There a power is assumed which doth not exist in man, and is not necessary for the perfection of our nature, in its rank, employment and happiness. On the other hand, an imputation of weakness in seeing the certainty of truth when fairly exhibited, is attended with evils, for it invalidates the system of moral practice, and leads men to doubt where they ought to reverence the certainty of their conceptions.

often lead common minds to make discoveries which have baffled scientific search in the great and studious. Nature will never be so exhausted, as to preclude further discoveries in the same way; and they are continually taking place in mat ters so plain when discovered, that we wonder the inventive power of men should have overlooked them so long; this plainly shews the great weakness of that power in the human mind, by which truth is invented or originated to human knowledge.

In applying these remarks to divine science, we find abundant Human well being, and the reason to think that mankind are exercise of moral agency and indebted originally to a revela happiness did not require that tion for the principal articles of we should have great acuteness what is commonly called natuin originating truth; this was ral religion. The animal sentherefore left to be accomplished ses are the first medium of by the efficiency of God, in such knowledge, by which al! sensiways as his wisdom judged most ble ideas are acquired. But the proper. But a power of clearly scriptural Deity is a being wholly proving and certainly knowing invisible to the senses. its reality when originated was experience of nature, and our necessary for every purpose of own being continually increases agency and practice, and there- | knowledge, there is no experi fore given in great perfection,andence of any character or power in nearly equal measure to the in the creatures, analogous to children of men. To see the those divine powers and attritruth of these observations in butes, which the holy oracies natural arts and science, will ascribe to the supremie God.give us confidence in applying An idea of knowledge and preVOL. II. NO. 1.

C

While

If an idea of the natural attributes is unattainable by human reasoning, there is still more room to suppose that the moral

been discovered: an immoral bias on the human mind increases the difficulty of investi

sence may be obtained by ex- have enlarged the peculiar properience and observation of cre-perties and powers of a created ated objects; but how a Being of nature, and such enlargement omnipresence and omniscience can never result in godhead as should be deduced from those, it is described in the sacred is very difficult to apprehend.- volume. Through created existence there is no being or character like to the godhead of revelation. In all human experience there is nothing in similitude of the na-nature of godhead would not have ture and efficience ascribed to Jehovah. How the human mind, when left to itself, and to the objects and events of a surround-gating the nature and operations ing world, without any assist-of infinite moral rectitude. Paance from experience, without gan theology may be adduced any resemblance in sensible ob- to support this representation. jects, should ever originate such A great part of the heathen do a character as the true God, not appear to have had any just scripturally described, is impos- notions of the divine perfections sible to conceive. A God effect- either natural or moral, and so ing the greatest events by the far as their apprehensions were energy of a single volition; cau- conformable to the greatness and sing existence where there was grandeur of scriptural represenno being; an efficient powertation, was doubtless owing to operating at the greatest distances some traditionary assistance without any material instrument from ancient revelation. Their of exertion; an universal but character of the gods is but an at the same time an invisible enlargement of created powers, presence; an infinite nature acting in a sphere superior to with all the peculiar ascriptions men, but still limited and unworof Deity, being no where re-thy the eternal Deity. Their sembled, and by none experienced; an idea of all these must have been unattainable without a revelation. Even when revealed these attributes are incomprehensible, and there seems no probability that the mind, without the assistance of experience, or sensible likeness, or revelation, could have originated a belief of incomprehensible attributes. That men without a revelation might have conceived of beings greater than them-nations. Almighty God originselves is altogether probable; ated such an idea of himself, but in forming the character of as the human mind could resuch beings, they would only ceive, to the parents of our race.

descriptions of the divine morality are drawn from their own bosoms, and in instances beyond number partial, dishonorable and impure, such as all would deem unworthy a good man. For the few just ideas of divinity found among those not in possession of the holy word of God, we may easily account by tradition, and the communications which must have been kept up bet ween the enlightened and dark

This was repeated in succeeding From the concurrent testimorevelations, and the human de-ny of profane and sacred history, scent from a common source while Jehovah the scriptural might by traditional information, God was known in Israel, the communicate some knowledge theology of all the neighboring of so interesting a truth. Still, nations, was miserably defectho' divinely originated, the sub-tive. Upon no hypothesis but ject was too great and holy to be that of a revelation, can we acfully retained in human know-count for the elevated descripledge, without frequent recur- tions of godhead, peculiar to the rence to the original light. Lit-laws of that people. With all erary characters through the old the light which hath radiated world, directly or mediately, be- from that source, through the came acquainted with the Jewish contiguous nations of men, their revelation, which was placed in conceptions fell vastly short of the hands of a people, whose what we find in the Jewish local situation made them the books. In every other kind of centre of all communication improvement, other nations were between the eastern and western at the same time elevated above countries. The repeated dis- them. That a race of people, persions of that people contri-agricultural in their general chabuted likewise to the same event. racter, and not famed for acutePaul the apostle largely de-ness in any human sciences, scribes the Gentile heathen cha- should invent a theology so ful! racter. In this description he of grandeur, becoming eternal speaks of them with the advan-Deity, is beyond all probability. tages they had. God had at This confirms our sentiments, first originated to the world a that without a revelation the reatrue knowledge of himself-soning faculties cannot attain to This by tradition and informa- just apprehensions of the true tion must have been imperfectly God. communicated to all nations.To aid this information when given, there was the whole force of natural evidence, "for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and god-most ancient prophecies were head." Still they did not like given to men. In his ministry to retain the true God in their and the inspiration of his se"knowledge, and to worship him. vants, who lived before and after Disrespect of this glorious cha-him, a future and immortal exracter, when originated to the knowledge of the world by a revelation, and confirmed by strong natural evidence, sufficiently proves a moral corruption, which is the point he was establishing.

The future existence and immortality of men, which is another truth now generally receiv ed, would never have been received by mankind, without some supernatural assurance of the fact. Jesus Christ is the great prophet, and by his agency the

istence were not only assserted, but first brought to human knowledge.-Without supeinitural information, there would have been no fect in nature to establish the truth. When ines

observed the progress and Though the inventive power of change of nature; that all human nature by, an operation things here have their produc-of reasoning is very weak, and tion, maturity and dissolution, could never have discovered what without any symptoms of a re- some may call the principal doc.maining existence; that other trines of natural religion; the objects of similar qualities rise power of common sense, or of upin their stead, and in the same seeing the fitness and propriety manner return to death; when of truth when once originated this is observed to be a universal to the mind, hath every degree law of vegetable and animal be- of acuteness necessary for the ing, and that men die like other perfection of our dependent nacreatures, I do not conceive anytures, to form a certain faith, evidence or fact that could in- and direct us in all matters of duce the ancient opinion of their practice. When the scriptural future existence. If our gene-character of God is set before ral longings for immortality, or our minds, his self existent narather for a continuance of being, ture, his glorious powers and could establish its certainty, the perfections, his creating and prodepraved longings of man would. vidential agency, and his moral prove many events, inconsistent rectitude consisting in essential with the first principles of na- love; when we consider the na⚫ture and of virtue. Our know-tural system of existence in soledge of the mind in its disem-cial connection admitting a bodied state is so imperfect, that scheme of moral virtue, glorious when we see rational exercises and useful for the whole; also decaying in the same proportion the manner of recovering sinas animal vigor and life abate, ners revealed in the gospel, and we should suppose the whole how it confirms all the original man gone to destruction, were laws in nature, our minds are not a more divine hope ori- delighted, are assured that these ginated in the word of God. things are truth, and we have This truth taken as part of rev- the same certainty both in faith elation appears to be sufficiently and practice, as could be prodemonstrated; but left to be duced by a power to discover argued from the present events them without a revelation. The of nature, would not even have invisible things, even the eternal appeared probable. Similar power and godhead of Jehovah, remarks might be made up-are confirmed by the things he on several other articles which have been assumed as doctrines in such a scheme of natural religion. as men would form by reasoning without a revelation; but if what hath been said is true, this superstructure falls to the ground.

hath made. It is fit there should be such a character to produce and govern all things, such a law to unite the universe in blessedness, and the promised immortality of the mind, and re-* surrection of the body, harmonize with the great design of

By this representation the evi-infinite wisdom. dence of religious and moral This subject is very importtruth is not at all invalidated.-ant in the defence of Christian

ity; for when we view the con- to investigate religious and mo

tents of divine revelation, and find them such as command belief, and at the same time above the discovery of men without instruction from God, it places revelation upon a footing from which it can never be shaken.A person cannot be educated in any Christian land, he cannot have a common intercourse with men without receiving from them many truths, first given to buman knowledge by the word of God. For those who have received these great ideas from the divine oracles, adversely to turn against them and say they contain no more than unassisted reason teaches, is a most unfair method of procedure.

None will deny that men in forming a system of natural religion, may describe the supreme existence and other sacred truth very justly without using the language of the holy scriptures.-But where did this knowledge

ral truth, by our own experience and our observation of the creatures with which we are surrounded? In all these things, it is probable the world would have been a scene of darkness, and the human mind totally destitute of those great ideas which give us present happiness, excite our adoration, and are the basis of future glory. Taught by these reflections to honor the word of God, let us diligently search for instruction in all things pertaining to life and godliness.

Thoughts on the preparation already made, and now making, by the Providence of God, for the commencement of the Millennial state of the Church on Earth.

originate? how did it come into BY the Millennium is meant

a period before the consummation of time, in which the Christian religion shall be acknowledged through the world, errors be exploded, a holy practice become general, and the world filled with peace. It will be the universal reign of the Prince of peace on earth, when the glory of his kingdom will appear to all mankind. From what hath been seen and experi

the world? Not by the inventive powers of men, but by the inspired voice of Deity, who knew himself, and communicates his glory to creatures as they are capable of receiving. That the common reason and sense of mankind is able to see the fitness of divine truth when unfolded, all will allow this power was necessary to the perfection of our nature in its dependentenced in all the past ages, no state. But there is no man can put himself in the situation that all the world probably would have been in without a revelation from God. The truth is now made our own and will for ever remain with us, but what would our attainments have been, if almighty God had left our reason

adequate idea can be formed of the glory to which the church will arrive in this world. As Christ suffered here, so here he will triumph, and bring Satani under his feet.

The Christian belief of such a state to come, is built on the testimony of revelation. No