SERM.tives, and diftant tendencies to fo enor XII. mous a crime; and, as the fureft prefer vative from it, to cultivate an inviolable habit of justice in every even the minu teft article of our commerce. ! SER SERMON XIII. 92 92 92 92 92 92.929 The DOCTRINE of a PARTICU- REV. xix. 6. Alleluiah: For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. T HE doctrine of a supreme and SERM. univerfal providence is not XIII. only the immediate fupport of all religion, but also the most elevated and delightful object of contemplation, that can poffibly prefent itself to a fober and uncorrupted mind. Upon the truth or falfhood of this most SERM. important principle, neceffarily depends XIII. the juft idea of the universe, and of our own fituation and character, our design, our business, and all our expectations in it. As this grand question is decided, the whole fyftem of nature must appear with a quite different face. If the notion of a providence cannot be maintained, the world, to the eye of reafon, must seem like a forlorn and defolate wilderness; and we know not to what infinite irregularities, to what unavoidable confufions and miferies it may be expofed, horrible even in the bare imagination. It has loft its vital animating fpirit; the hope of the afflicted, and the main fupport and confolation of the virtuous, are taken away from them; and the happiness of all rational beings is rendered abfolutely uncertain and precarious. But if the government of an all-perfect mind be once firmly established; if he conducts the course of nature, and regulates the affairs of the universe with invariable wisdom and rectitude, with impartial equity, with paternal goodness; from hence muft naturally fpring tranquility, and a fedate fub lime fatisfaction: There can be no im-SERM. proper or unneceffary evil upon the XIII. whole; nor the want of any fit and neceffary good. And yet, notwithstanding this, wicked men, being irreconcileably averse to the notion of a providence (because they justly apprehend that it involves in it the idea of moral government, the eternal terror of vice and wilful depravity) and men of bold and presumptuous fpeculations, who are bewildered in the intricacies and mazes of blind metaphyfics; both of these, I fay, the one from the corruption of their hearts, and the other from the pride of false wisdom, have endeavoured to banish God out of the universe, whofe prefence, and fupreme influence in it, is the only fource of fubftantial comfort and joy to the intelligent part of the creation. AND what is it, that they have subftituted in the place of God; in the place of an all-wife and omnipotent director and difpofer of events, and a common father? Nothing, in effect, but the utmost anarchy and wild disorder; nothing, in reality, but unintelligible jargon, and VOL. III. words Y SERM. words without a meaning. For it is to XIII. fate, or chance, that we are referred for the origin of the universe, the support of its ftupendous frame, the beauty and barmony of the feveral parts of it, and for the exquifite contrivance, the exact and regular difpofition of all things in it. BUT let us not, my brethren, suffer ourselves to be loft in darkness; let us not give up firft principles, for the fake of founds that we do not understand. Let us ask ourselves seriously what is that fate, which is supposed to have such a furprizing kind of operation, and to produce fo many curious and wonderful effects. -"Is it a real principle? Is it a proper efficient caufe? - So far from it that we shall find it, upon close examination, to be in the prefent argument just nothing at all; i. e. " to be no reason of "the existence of any thing, nor capable "of affording a folid and fatisfactory ac"count, of the moft minute and trivial "C event in nature." FOR when it is faid that all things exist, and that the fabric of the world is upheld and maintained, by fate, these 2 propo |