Abstracts of a Sermon preached by him. As there are but few or no material things in this fecond part of Koblius's Book, we don't think proper to trouble our Readers with an Account of it,

ARTICLE XXV.

A Second Abstract of Mr. FOSTER's Sermons on various Subjects. (See the firft in Num. XXII. Art. 19. p. 337.).

IN

N the feventh Sermon, Mr. Fofter treats of Myfteries, upon Deut. xxix. 29. The Secret Things belong unto the Lord our God; but thofe Things which are reveal'd belong unto us, and ta our Children for ever, that we may do all the Words of this Law. Having fhewn the Connexion of thefe Words with the foregoing, he draws from them five general Obfervations, which are the Subject of his Difcourse.

AND, first, that 'tis a vain and foolish Curiofity to enquire into Things that we can't comprehend, and with refpect to which we have no Light to direct us, either from Reason or Revelation. Of this kind are the fecret Coun. fels and Decrees of God, and future Events, in which we have no manner of Concern. Such is the Narrownefs and Limitation of our prefent Faculties, that we are ignorant of the Ends and Ufes of innumerable Things in the Conftitution of Nature; and particular Events in the Conduct of Providence confound and puzzle us,, because we have but very loofe and imperfect Conceptions of its whole Defign. Therefore it is a moft unaccountable Folly to enquire into thofe Things, and to pretend to judge of them,

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to argue where we have no Principles to proceed upon, and to repine at not being Omnifcient, or able to comprehend all the Defigns of an infinite Mind. Such a Temper naturally leads to Scepticism and Cavilling, and diverts the Mind from a purfuit of folid Wisdom, to amufing and ufelefs Speculations. Hence it is, that our Bleffed Saviour difcourag'd and reprefs'd upon all Occafions this idle and trifling Curiofity, as may be feen Luke viii. 23, 24. and elsewhere.

The fecond Obfervation from the Text, is, that there are properly fpeaking no Myfteries in Religion. The Secret, i. e. the mysterious Things belong unto the Lord our God; and only Things revealed, Things that are plain and intelligible, belong to us. "A Mystery, fays "Mr. Fofter, in the Scripture Senfe of it, is a "thing that natural Reason could not difco

ver, and confequently, which must have "been unknown, if God had not reveal'd it. "And of this kind, I own, there are feveral "Doctrines in the Chriftian Religion; before "the Revelation was given, they were Myfte"ries, but ceafe to be Myfteries now they are "reveal'd." This he proves by fome Places in the Scripture*, where Myfteries are faid to be revealed, fhewn, and known, which would be impoffible if they were ftill Mysteries, and by the Confideration of the Things themselves. For what can be more clear, for inftance, than the two Myfteries St. Paul fpeaks of, viz. preaching the Gofpel to the Gentiles, and this Propofition, Wefhall not all fleep, or die, but we fhall all, i. e. thofe who are found alive at the coming of Chrift, be changed? They could not have See Mark iv. 2. Rom. xvi. 25. 1 Cor. xv, 51.

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have been known, if they had not been revealed, and confequently, before that time, were proper Mysteries; but in themselves are plain Truths adapted to all Understandings, and have not the leaft obfcurity or intricacy in them.

FROM this Account it is plain, that we have nothing at all to do with Myfteries, i, e. Things which Reafon cannot discover, and which are not revealed; they are in the Language of the Text, fecret Things that belong to God, and to God only. We ought not, neither can we believe or practife any fuch Thing. “To be"lieve Doctrines, fays the Author, that are ftill myfterious, is to believe without Ideas,

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to believe what we know nothing of; but "this, in the nature of the Thing, is impof"fible. Nor can greater difhonour be done "to the infinite Wisdom of God, than by fup

pofing that he has made it a part of our "religious Obligations only to believe in ge

neral, that there is fome Truth disguised un"der unintelligible Terms, of which we have no "Ideas. For this is making no Revelation at "all, but leaving Things in abfolute Darkness. And if we examine the Doctrines of the "Chriftian Religion, we fhall find in fact, "that they are plain and eafy Truths, and "that, as we cannot in Reason, we are not ob"liged by Revelation, to carry 'our Faith one jot beyond our Understanding. If you

fay, that you cannot account for the manner "of God's creating the World, or for the "manner in which he exifts every-where; of "the general Refurrection, and the like; I an

fwer, it is no part of your Religion to account for it. Where the Mystery begins, "Religion ends."

MR.

MR. Fofter obferves afterwards, how furprifing it is, that Mankind, in all Ages, have been fo fond of Myfteries. It is, indeed, natural enough, that the Crafty and Designing, who make a gain of the credulity of the Multitude, fhould ufe all their art and intereft to propa gate them; but why fhould the more honeft and difinterested part of the People plead fo zealously for them? Whence comes it to pafs, that when they chufe to fee their way plain before them in all other Cafes, they should affect to be without Light in matters of Religion? Religion is of vaftly greater Importance than the common Affairs of Life, and this they readily acknowledge; and yet they feem to like it the better, the lefs they understand it. Such a Conduct is very unaccountable, because there can, one would think, be no motive to it. Mysteries yield neither Pleasure, nor Profit, fince we don't understand them; or, in other Words, they are really nothing at all to us.

BUT what is ftill more furprifing, is to fee Myfteries propagated with much zeal, and impofed on Confcience, when for the fake of what is allowed on all hands to be incomprebenfible, the plain and indifpenfable Obligations of Justice and Charity are miferably infringed and trampled upon and of this the History of the Chriftian Church, in almost every Age, affords many flagrant Examples. It is then the Duty of every good Chriftian, but more efpecially of the Minifters of the Gofpel, to oppose an error which makes Religion contemptible, and ftrikes at the foundation of Christianity, and indeed of all good Morals. And this cannot be fo effectually done, as by fhewing, that there are no Mysteries in Religion, and that what

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we do not understand, is in fact, ufelefs to us, and confequently does not deferve our zeal, The Author only adds, that there is a great Difference between a Mystery, and a direct Abfurdity and Contradiction; fuch as Tranfubftantiation, and other Doctrines which have been fcreen'd under that more venerable name: for Mysteries are only Things that we know nothing at all of; the other, Things that we certainly know to be falfe: the former we only do not understand, the latter we plainly fee cannot be understood.

THE third Obfervation from the Text, is, that the great End of Revelation is Practice, the Practice of folid and fubftantial Virtue. Thofe Things which are revealed, fays Mofes, belong to us and to our Children for ever, that we may do all the Words of this Law. That this is really the Cafe, must be allowed by all who have examined the Gofpel with any care, and will be feen the more clearly, the more thoroughly it is understood. The greatest part of Christianity is only a Reinforcement of the Religion of Nature, confifting of moral Precepts, which were doubtlefs intended to be the Rule of our Actions, and ftrengthening the Arguments for a virtuous Life which Reafon fuggefts. And if we confider its peculiar Doctrines, we fhall find that they are all calculated, wifely calculated to ferve the fame moft excellent Defign.

THE fourth Obfervation, is, that no Doctrines, which in the leaft encourage Immorality, can be Parts of a divine Revelation: But this is fo exceeding clear, that there's no need to enlarge on it. And therefore the Author proceeds, in the laft place, to fhew, that if the

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