beings, whether visible or invisible. So that no one, of whom it can be truly and properly faid, that he is either made or created, begotten or produced, derived from, or dependent upon another, is himself the unmade and uncreated, the unbegotton and unproduced, the underived and independent Creator, or only living and true God: For this were a contradiction in terms.

THE divine attributes, as discovered to us by the wonderful works and word of God in conjunction, are, eternity, independence, or neceffary felf-existence; immenfity, or omniprefence; incorporeity, or fpirituality; boundless power, perfect knowledge, and unerring wisdom; perfect purity, holiness and juftice, truth and faithfulness, goodnefs, mercy, and immutability. For in all these refpects, in all truly divine perfections, God is neceffarily, and therefore immutably the fame, even from everlafting to everlafting, "without variablenefs, or fhadow of

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turning." And as God originally created all things; fo he continually preferves, prefides over, and governs them by his providence, in the moft wife, righteous, good and gracious manner: Being a lover of all virtue and goodness, and abhorring all vice and wickedness, even while he is merciful to the wicked; good and kind even to the unthankful and to the evil. It will not be amifs to obferve further here, that the holy fcriptures fpeak much oftener, and far more largely and particularly, of God's goodness and mercy, than of any of his other perfections; affuring us, that "the Lord is good to ALL, and his tenE 2

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der mercies over ALL his works;" that " there is none good but One, that is God;" that "God is love"-goodnefs and love itself, perfect and univerfal, eternal and immutable love: And it is repeated no less than twenty-fix times in one pfalm, that "his mercy endureth for ever."†

Now, faith in God, his perfections and providence, and particularly in his goodness and mercy, is not only an effential ingredient in, but the very foundation of, all true fobriety, or religion. For, in the language of infpiration, which is in this refpect at leaft, the language of reafon alfo," with"out faith it is impoffible to please God; for he "that cometh to God, muft believe that he is, " and that he is a rewarder of them that diligent"ly feek him." Though I cannot but observe by the way, that fome modern pretended reformers of the fuppofed errors and herefies among us, feem rather to have aimed at establishing it as a fundamental article of faith, that God is NOT a rewarder of them that diligently seek him;" but that men may seek him, not only earnestly and diligently, but do so all their lives, and yet not find his favor extended to them, or finally receive any reward of him-except the reward of unrighteoufnefs in eternal torments! But if this be accounted orthodoxy, I must, for my own part, humbly confefs with the apoftle Paul, "that after the way which they call herefy,

fo worship I the God of my fathers; believing "all things which are written in the law and the prophets," [and the gofpel of Chrift alfo :] and have HOPE TOWARDS GOD:" Which

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Pfalm 136. Heb. XI. 6. § Acts XXIV. 14. 15.

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even the best men upon earth can hardly have, upon the principles of fuch a spurious orthodoxy as that just now referred to.

BUT to return, If, inftead of believing the existence and perfections, the moral government and univerfal providence of the equally great and good God, you have him not in all your thoughts;

if you do not duly regard him; but banish him, as it were, out of his own world, the universe which fprung from nothing at his word: If you do thus, it is impoffible that you should have any true fobriety of mind, any real wisdom. For the knowledge or fear of the Lord, is even literally "the beginning of wisdom. They that know not God, know nothing as they ought to know it; nor do any thing as they ought to do it.

LET me therefore, my young brethren, takę occafion here to caution you against listening with a favourable ear, to any atheistical notions; such as strike at the being, attributes, or moral government of God; and, thereby, at the very root of all religion and virtue. There are not wanting those in this apoftate, this foolish and wicked world, who fcruple not even to tell others, they are fools, by intimating that they "fay "in their hearts, There is no God;" or at leaft, no fuch holy, wife and righteous one as is commonly fuppofed; none, from whom we have any thing to fear if we do evil, or to hope if we do well. And there are fome young men, tho', I would charitably hope, not amongst you ;-yea, fome that are more advanced in years, who either from

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from an unwillingness to part with their lufts, or, at best, from great levity of mind, and an affectation of fingularity, liften with pleasure to such fenfelefs notions, when they hear them advanced; and read the books with delight, in which some perfons even of the last and present age, have Thewn a ftrange ambition to record their own folly and impiety to the ages that are to come. Take heed, my beloved brethren, left any of you fhould also be carried away with thefe errors of the wicked; of fuch fools as these.

I HARDLY need defire you, by way of antidote against the poifon, and mortal venom of fuch principles, to lift your eyes to the heavens above; to observe the ftupendous magnitude, the regular motions, the beautiful order, of the numerous worlds that roll there; or to ask you, how they came there? and by whom they are preserved from age to age in this wonderful order and harmony? I fcarce need, for this end, to defire you even to look down upon the earth, or to look round the world which you inhabit; in which there are actually innumerable, indefinite marks and characters of infinite power, the most confummate wisdom and goodness. It will be fufficient if you confider those microcofms, thofe little worlds, your own bodies; which are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made;" with amazing skill, an art truly admirable and aftonishing to every attentive obferver. And whofe hand formed and fashioned these? Certainly no human one: The art, wifdom and power of all the fons of Adam united, would

of

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not suffice for the forming a single fly, emmit or mite. Nay, all human wifdom cannot even comprehend the workmanship and art of the leaft infect; tho' it may fee enough thereof, to be at once convinced and confounded. What then will you fay of your own bodies? Whofe workmanfhip are they?

BUT if even your bodies must neceffarily be the product of a wisdom, a fkill, an art and power, fo much furpaffing all that is human; what will you fay of your minds, your fouls, which direct and governs them? From whence come knowledge, reflexion, memory? from whence, will, choice and liberty? from whence the power of at onec looking back on what is paft, and forward on what is future? Are these intellectual powers and faculties of yours, eternal and neceffary? No. It is but a few days fince you yourselves came into existence. Were they then without any caufe? No. Nothing can be fo, that is not both eternal and neceffary. Were they then the product of inert, unknowing, fenfeless matter? That cannot be: Knowledge, choice and power cannot, furely, be derived from that which is itself deftitute of all knowledge, choice and power. From whence and from whom then, came thefe intellectual powers? To suppose that you need to be told, would hardly be confiftent with the very fuppofition, that you are poffeffed of them. From hence appears at once, the being and the fpirituality of God; and the extreme ftupidity of all image-worship. For there never was a more rational, a more conclufive

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