able representation of the moral Attributes of God (his Goodness and his Justice) becomes a fatal discredit to the Doctrine of Redemption.

Yet, at the same time, it is but just to observe, that such is the fate and condition of sublunary things, that these sometimes exchange their proper qualities, and produce effects not correspondent to their respective natures.

Thus, in the case as thus considered, we have shewn how harmless a mere hypothesis in Physics generally is, and, on the contrary, how one in Religion is as generally pernicious. Yet sometimes we shall find the Physical Hypothesis to be hurtful, and the Religious useful.

The Ptolemaic System, by destroying all that simplicity of motion to be expected in these Works of God, hath, along with its civil and practical use, occasioned a speculative mischief; and inclined men to Atheism; as appears in the case of Alphonsus, who impiously boasted, that, had he been consulted about the Solar System, he could have advised how it might have been better constructed. I call it an impious boast, because it plainly insinuated, that he (who had discovered the imperfections of the Ptolemaic Construction, and was ignorant of the true) ascribed the whole to a blind and unintelligent Cause. Again, the Cartesian, with his Corpuscularian Hypothesis, attempts to explain all the Phænomena of Nature by matter and motion; requiring only that God should at first create a sufficient quantity of each, just enough to set him on work, and then pretends to do the business without his further aid; that is, without the concourse of any VITAL PRINCIPLE to help him forward, in an immaterial way; this Hypothesis, I say, which, on the one hand, so much contributed to free Philosophy from the nonsense and tyranny of the SCHOOLS, yet, on the other, produced (while it was in vogue) many rank and irreligious Materialists.

But once more turn the tables, and then, so shifting is this state of things, we shall see, although we have shewn that, in the heights and purer regions of Theology, a mere hypothesis is likely to disturb and perplex our views, yet there is an inferior Station in that service, where the Divine may employ this counterfeit of a true Theory to very good purpose; in discrediting such objections to Revelation as have gained credit by our imperfect ideas of the true System of the intellectual World. Here a probable hypothesis is of use, as it may serve to convince objectors, that what we find recorded in Sacred Scripture of the Origin and Progress of God's extraordinary Dispensation to Man, may be very consistent with what human Reason teacheth of the divine Essence and Attributes. And the more we can frame of those probable Solutions, the more support we give to Revelation, though it be only by arguments ad ignorantiam.

Notwithstanding all this, it appears, upon the whole, that a suc

cessful Search after Religious Truths can be then only expected when we erect our System upon FACT; acknowledged Facts, as they are recorded in Sacred Scripture.

For if the Dispensation, to which such Facts belong, be indeed from God, all the Parts of it will be seen to be the correspondent Members of one entire WHOLE; which orderly disposition of things, essential to a religious SYSTEM, will assure us of the TRUE THEORY of the Christian Faith.

But the abuse of Words, confounding those of HYPOTHESIS and SYSTEM with one another (the word System being a common term, which may be applied equally to an Hypothesis or a true Theory) hath thrown a discredit on the latter, with which the former only is chargeable. Examples of this the attentive Reader may find among the numberless Cavils to the Work of The Divine Legation. Hitherto we have endeavoured to shew in what way HUMAN REASON should be employed on religious matters.

But then, how far, when thus employed, She is to be indulged, is the next thing to be considered.

The three moral Attributes of the Godhead, discoverable by natural Light, on which men are accustomed to examine the pretensions of Revelation, are his JUSTICE, his GOODNESS, and his WISDOM. But the Reasoner on Religion will trangress his bounds, unless he confine himself within the two first. The evidence of this assertion is convincing.

To form a right judgement of the divine Attributes of JUSTICE and GOODNESS, the only relations, to be taken into consideration, are those of GOD and MAN. But to judge truly of the WISDOM of the Godhead, other relations besides those of God and Man, namely, the whole order of intellectual Beings, dispersed throughout the universe, are to be added to the account: Of whom, further than of their mere existence, we know nothing.

If

From hence it is seen, that we may safely determine, whether any thing in REVELATION contradict God's JUSTICE and GOODNESS. it doth, such Revelation is to be rejected. Not so, with regard to his WISDOM, therein manifested in any particular instance; although our natural knowledge of the Being and Attributes of God assures us, that the GREAT ALL is conducted with the most consummate Wisdom.

REVELATION therefore is not to be rejected on account of difficulties arising from our ignorance of all the relations necessary to be taken in, when we would attempt to form a complete judgment of the exertion of the Attribute of Wisdom.

Why this precise mode of REDEMPTION by the death and sufferings of Christ was preferred to all other, in the eternal purpose of the Godhead, exceeds the powers of human reason to discover; because

his Attribute of WISDOM, which is out of the reach of man to apply to this inquiry, is here concerned. But when it hath been proved by Fact, that a Religion was revealed in which this mode of Redemption is employed, then Reason may lend her modest aid to shew (what a rational Religion seems to expect should be shewn) that this precise mode is conformable to all our ideas of divine goodness and justice: Nay, that it best quadrates with, as it is seen to be the properest means of, a RESTORATION TO A FREE GIFT, WHEN BECOME FORFEITED. This difference, in the Application of Reason to religious matters, MOSES hath not obscurely intimated to his People; where, in his last direction for their conduct, he says, The SECRET THINGS belong unto the LORD our GOD; but those things which are REVEALED belong to Us and to OUR CHILDREN, for ever;* and had I not observed this sage direction, but vainly endeavoured to explain Mysteries which the Gospel hath left unexplained, I should justly have incurred the Censure of Jerom to his Adversaries. Why (says this Father) do you pretend, after so many ages are elapsed, to teach us what was never taught before! Why, attempt to EXPLAIN what neither Peter nor PAUL thought it necessary to be known? +

1. The Principles, here laid down, may be of use, First, to direct future Enquirers in the RIGHT WAY; where, if, on other accounts, they make but slow advances, they are, at least, kept from wandering in the dark. For while the bounds of Reason continue unsettled, and the use and abuse of this noble instrument of Truth remain confounded with one another, the very ablest Seeker will be embarrassed and misled. Hence it hath come to pass, that this first and necessary step in support of our holy Faith, AN INQUIRY INTO THE TRUE NATURE AND GENIUS OF THE GOSPEL-DISPENSATIONS, hath been so generally overlooked: instead of which a thousand metaphysical subtilties on the terms and phrases under which the doctrine of SAVING GRACE is conveyed, have engaged men's principal attention; while the thing itself, a matter of the utmost importance, hath been suffered to lie in all the Obscurity in which old Polemics had involved it. So true hath our perverse nature ever been to itself. "Hoc habet ingenium humanum," (says the great Philosopher) "ut cum ad SOLIDA non sufficiat, in SUPERVACANEIS se atterat." §

2. Another use of these Principles is to convince Unbelievers, that revealed ReligION affords, and is productive of, all the evidence which the nature of the thing requires; and consequently, all which right reason can expect: And that the strongest of their objections to it arise from the abusive exercise of our Faculties, employed on objects which those Faculties can neither apprehend nor reach.

• Deut. xxix. 29.

Ad Pammachium et Oceanum de erroribus Origenis. § BACON.

LIMBORCH's Amica Collatio cum erudito Judæo.

III.

But now, all PARTIES, in support of their oblique interest, have concurred to decry this method of Inquiry: whereby, from the various genius, the comparative excellence, the mutual dependence, the reciprocal illustration of the several parts of God's moral Dispensation to Mankind, and the gradual progress of the Whole towards perfection, great discoveries have been made in these latter times, by men who dared to break the barrier, which Bigotry and Superstition had been so long forming, to obstruct our views both of NATURE and of GRACE.

These PARTIES ask, How it happened that Discoveries so sublime and useful, as is pretended, were now to make; when the light of the spirit was sent so early, and had illuminated the Church so long?— How it happened, that these Truths were denied to the best times, and, after lying hid for many ages, were reserved for the reward of the very worst? And then, in their real or pretended reverence for Establishments, concur in condemning all EXPERIMENTS in Religion.

To these, under their sad suspicions of the issue, in forsaking the OLD POSTURE OF defence, it will be sufficient to reply,

1. That the promise and gift of the Holy Spirit may be considered, either as they referred to the first Propagators of the Faith, or as they concerned the Teachers of it, ever since.

As to the first Propagators, there is no doubt of their being abundantly enlightened for the work of their Ministry; whether it was in making Converts, in founding Churches, or in composing those occasional instructions, by which the Faithful, in all ages, may improve the current benefits of the same Spirit. As to the succeeding Teachers of the word, the assistance they receive from the HOLY SPIRIT, is the second point we are more particularly to consider.

Now the endowment of GRACE is, in this respect, pretty much the same with the endowment of NATURE; of little advantage to the receiver without his co-operation. God hath bestowed upon us hands and feet, to procure good, and to avert evil; but it is to the careful and habitual application of these members to their proper uses, that we owe all the benefits they are capable of producing. So it is with the free gift of the Spirit. It is bestowed upon us, to enlighten the understanding, and to redress the disorders of the Will. But it does not work like a Charm: for if either we neglect to employ these given powers, or will divert them to improper subjects, the use and efficacy of Grace must certainly be defeated.

This Ordinance, in the economy of GRACE, may receive credit from what is seen to have happened in the œconomy of NATURE. The power, wisdom, and goodness of the Almighty is so evident and convincing, from every obvious configuration of matter surrounding us, that these Attributes cannot escape the most inattentive, or lie

concealed from the most short-sighted. Hence a GOD, the Maker, the Preserver, and Governor of the World, is the universal voice of Nature.

NOW CREATION and GOVERNMENT, from whence the morality of human Actions is deduced, are the foundation of NATURAL RELIGION: So that GOD cannot be said to have been wanting in the discovery of himself to the lowest of his rational Creatures: Yet, though the general and obvious marks of his power, wisdom, and goodness, obtrude themselves upon all men, it is nevertheless certain that a welldirected study of the Book of Nature opens to us such stupendous wonders of his Power, such awful Scenes of his Wisdom, and such enchanting prospects of his Goodness, as far exceed all conception of the unlearned and uninstructed Beholder. Some faint taste of these delights the more inquisitive enjoyed very early: But those who came after, by indulging too much to abstract SPECULATION, and trusting too little to EXPERIMENT, instead of discovering a real world, the Archetype of its Maker, invented a variety of imaginary ones, all as dishonourable, as they were unrelated to him. At length, two of our own countrymen of superior genius chalked out a different road to the study of Nature, in which vague conjecture was excluded; and facts, verified, on experiments, were allowed to be the only inlet to physical knowledge. Henceforth, NATURE was set before us, unveiled; and her Sacred Mysteries held out to the knowledge and admiration of all men.

This was the progress in the ways of NATURE: The ways of GRACE ran the very same fortune.

The great Principles of revealed Religion are FAITH and OBEDIENCE. These, which are alone sufficient to make men wise unto Salvation, are clearly and fully taught in the Gospel. But we should greatly derogate from God's moral Government, did we not allow it to abound in the like sublime Wonders with the Natural. And to the study of the first, there are more important Calls, and much greater Advantages. The knowledge of God's moral Government, as far as concerns his religious Dispensations, is the duty of every man and indeed, the whole business of the Ministers of his revealed word. So that partly, for the use and importance of the subject, partly, for the necessity of making head against the enemies of Revelation, but chiefly in obedience to the Command, TO STUDY THE SCRIPTURES, it hath, from the first ages of the Church to the present times, been one of the principal occupations of the Learned. Yet what, from unfavourable circumstances in the civil and literary world; what, from the varying bias of occasional prejudices; but, above all, from the sordid interests and blind passions of men occupied in these Inquiries; the various Schemes of Religion, pretended to be found in Scripture, but indeed, the workmanship of Divines, had dishonoured the Doctrine of REDEMPTION near as much as the hypotheses of Philosophers had