great intereft of God's glory and man's happinefs; for false and unworthy notions of him muft needs bereave God of the honour and worship due to him from his creatures, by alienating the minds of men, and betraying 'em into fuperftition, idolatry or atheism: and thus that religion, which was defign'd to glorify God, by the manifestation and acknowledgement of his divine excellencies and perfections, and to advance man into a state of bleffednefs, by influencing his life, and filling his mind with fecurity and chearfulness, fhall be perverted to ends directly contrary, and prove inftrumental to difhonour God, and render man miferable. The truth of this has been too too evident in those vifible effects of ignorance, or mifreprefentation of the divine nature amongst the Gentiles; the want of conceiving aright his omnipotence and immenfity, &c. joined with the numerous neceffities of mankind, did bring forth, or at leaft confirm polytheifm; groundless apprehenfions of cruelty in God brought forth fuperftition, and the abfurdities of polytheism and fu→ perftition gave being to atheifm: and at this day there are many mifchiefs, which I must impute either to falfe notions of God, or want of juft confideration of the true ones, or at least, to not arguing clearly and truly from 'em. For from one of these reasons it proceeds, that the worship of fome men is fo flight, empty and trifling; the religion of others fo melancholy and uncomfortable, and truly fuperftitious: and I am afraid, there is too much of atheistical loofenefs, fenfual carnal prefumption and wretchlefs wretchlefs defpair, and many other evils owing to the fame caufe. Had men worthy_notions of God, how were it poffible they fhould ever fancy, that God would accept the fincerity and devotion of a communicant fitting, but not kneeling? after fupper, but not in the morning? that the whiteness of the garment would pollute and unhallow the fpiritual facrifice of prayer and praises? and fuch like. Would not a right notion of God easily convince fuch a weak and fcupulous trifler, that God were not to be pleas'd, but by fincere and fubftantial holiness and righteoufnefs; nor to be displeased, but by voluntary wickedness? all things elfe weighing nothing in the balance of the fanctuary, and not deserving the notice or regard of the Governour of the world: and tho' fuch aone should fuppofe his fcruples warranted by divine command; and confequently, because the foveraignty of God renders all his commandments indifputably authoritative and binding, he should therefore think himself as indispensably oblig'd to reject these things, as to fhun a fin; yet even here a right underftanding of the divine nature would foon inftruct him how to distinguish the divine commands, and teach him, that thofe, which did enjoyn holiness and righteousness, were the standing and fundamental laws of the divine government; that thofe, which did enjoyn duties fubfervient to that end, were of an inferiour nature, and did bind in proportion to their neceffity and tendency; that fuch, as did enjoyn or forbid things of a more remote and distant nature, circumstantial, ritual, &c. were merely E 4 merely pofitive and arbitrary, temporary and mutable; and the interpofing neceffity of fuperior duties is at any time fufficient to fuperfede there obligation. To proceed to other effects of mif-conceptions of the divine nature; how were it poffible that any one, who rightly understood the unfpeakable goodness of God, fhould, after he had done all he could, be tormented with doubtful fears and jealoufies concerning his ftate, nay, fometimes with a melancholy dread of God, as if he were a hard master, and impoffible to be pleafed? or how could fuch a perfwafion as this, that one were damn'd from eternity, and that neither prayers, nor tears, nor industry, could ever reverse the fatal fentence, find any entertainment in that man who were poffeffed with a true fenfe and firm belief of the boundless love which God has for all his rational creatures. It is evident therefore, of what importance 'tis to propagate and fettle in the minds of men a right understanding of the divine nature; and of all the attributes of God, there are none that have a more immediate and powerful influence, either upon the conduct of man's life, or the comfort of his mind, than these two, his holinefs and goodness: thefe make us willing and defirous to believe that there is a God; these make us love him and depend upon him, as one from whom we may rationally expect all that is good; He that comes to God They be one xxxeds dr (faith St. Paul) must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of all thofe that diligently feek him. Ως ὄντων καὶ διοικών καίως. Εpict. These These words do not only affert the being of a God, but alfo his holiness and goodness; both which may be clearly infer'd from three propofitions couch'd in those words of the apostle, that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him. First, That all men may feek God diligently if they will. Secondly, That it is the defire of God that they fhould do fo. And, Thirdly, That God will reward all that do fo. On these principles is religion founded, on thefe principles the honour of God, and the happinefs of man must be establish'd. I will therefore difcourse here, firft, of the goodness; and fecondly, of the holiness of God; which I distinguish from one another only for method's fake. Treating of the goodness of God, I will, man. Thirdly, I will explain the nature of divine affiftance, I mean, that which God vouchfafes man in order to happiness. Firft therefore, To begin with the proofs of God's infinite goodness. Of the goodness of God. Cruelty was the property of the Gentile gods, and not of the true God; human blood in which the Canaanites, Carthaginians, and others facrific'd, was an oblation fit for Baal, Moloch, &c. that is, for devils, not for God: innate wrath and cruelty is inconfiftent with a happy nature or a happy state; for these are furious and tormenting paffions: nor can we imagine that fuch a being fhould make its refi dence dence in heaven, a place of peace and love, or be delighted with hallelujah's and adorations of angels: this were no pleafure, no musick to a being, in whom wrath and cruelty were predominant. Nor were thofe good, thofe holy, thofe charitable fpirits fit attendants, fit minifters for fuch a being. No, could we fuppofe (as fome hereticks once fancied) that there were two first principles, a good, and bad one; could we fuppofe, there were an evil God, one in whom cruelty and wrath were his beloved attributes; we must neceffarily conclude, that he would make hell his court, that his guards and courtiers would be fiends and furies, and that the fhricks and torments of wretched creatures would be the pleasure, the harmony he delighted in this were a God fit for a Hobbift; one, who can difcern no difference between virtue and vice, between good and evil, between love or charity, and devilishness. And yet I cannot in charity but retract and condemn this thought: for O! no other God, is fit for him, but he whom he denieth! no other God is fit for fuch a wretch, but the God of love and mercy! to whom I recommend him, and proceed. All who believe a God, must believe him a most perfect being: for whence elfe fhould the fcatter'd perfections of his creatures have beginning? But if any man will fay, that there is no difference between perfections and imperfections, I would know why doth he reverence wisdom more than folly?, or why he dotes on beauty rather than deformity? Or, if he tell me,that he acknowledges a diftinction between natural, but none between moral perfections or imperfections; not |