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there may be many parts, of the greatest importance, which an unskilful obferver would not perceive the use of, or would perhaps declare to be ufelefs. Now in the courfe of Providence, a vaft number of events and objects may be employed to accomplish one great end; and it is impoffible for us to pronounce reasonably of any one event or object, that it is useless or improper, unless we know its tendency, and connection with other things both paft and future; which in cafes innumerable we cannot do. For of the past we know but little, the present we know imperfectly, and of the future we have no certain knowledge beyond what is revealed. The fyftem of Providence relating to us and to our final deftination, extends through thousands of years, as we have good reason to believe; but our life is fhort, and our views are bounded by our experience, which is very limited. That therefore may be a most wife and beneficent difpenfation, which to a captious mind and fallible judgement may appear the

contrary.

422. More

.

422. Moreover, the Deity intended, that the nature of all created things fhould be progreffive. Many years pass away before a man arrives at maturity; and many days, before a plant can yield good fruit. Every thing is imperfect, while advancing to perfection; and we cannot fay of any thing, whether it be well or ill-contrived for anfwering its end, till we know what its ftate of maturity will be, and what the effects are whereof it may be productive. Physical evils may, as will be shown by and by, be improved into bleffings; and it will also be shown, that Moral evil is a confequence of that law of nature which makes us capable of virtue and happiness. Even in this world, Providence often brings good out of evil; and every man of obfervation must have perceived, that certain events of his life, which when they happened feemed to be great misfortunes, have been found to be great bleffings in the end.

423. If, then, that which feems evil may really be good, for any thing we know to the contrary; and if that which

is really evil often does, and always may, produce good: how can man be fo prefumptuous as to fuppofe, because he cannot diftinctly fee the nature and use of fome things around him, that therefore the Creator of the world is not fupremely good and wife! No man can draw this conclufion, unlefs he believe himself infallible in his knowledge of all things paft, prefent, and future; and he who believes fo, if there be any fuch, is a fool.

424.

CHAP. II.

OF THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES.

OUR

UR knowledge of the Divine Nature, tho' fufficient to raife within us the highest adoration and love, must needs be very imperfect; for we cannot form a distinct idea of any moral or intellectual quality, unless we find fome trace of it in ourselves. Now God muft pof-. sess innumerable perfections, which neither we, nor any created being, can comprehend. When we afcribe to him 3 D

every

good

4

good quality that we can conceive, and confider him as poffeffed of them all in fupreme perfection, and as free from every imperfection, we form the best idea of him that we can: but it must fall infinitely fhort of the truth. The attributes of God, which it is in our power in any degree to conceive, or to make the fubject of investigation, have been divided into NATURAL, as Unity, Self-Existence, Spirituality, Omnipotence, Immutability, Eternity; INTELLECTUAL, as Knowledge and Wif dom; and MORAL, as Justice, Goodness, Mercy, Holiness.

425. That God is, has been proved already. That there are more gods than one, we have no evidence, and therefore cannot rationally believe. Nay even from the light of nature we have evidence, that there is one only. For in the works of creation there appears that perfect unity of defign, which naturally determines an attentive spectator to refer them all to one firft. caufe. Accordingly, the wifest men in the heathen world, though they worshipped inferior deities, (I fhould rather fay names which they fubftituted for deities), did

yet

yet seem to acknowledge one fupreme God, the greatest and best of beings, the father of gods and men. It is probable, that belief in one God was the original belief of mankind with refpect to Deity. But, partly from their narrow views, which made them think that one being could not, without fubordinate agents, fuperintend all things; partly from their flattery to living great men, and gratitude to the dead, difpofing them to pay divine honours to human creatures; partly from fanciful analogies between the Divine Providence and earthly governments; and partly from the figures of poetry by which they faw the attributes of the Deity perfonified, they foon corrupted the original belief, and fell into polytheism and idolatry. And no antient people ever retained long their belief in the one true God, except the Jews, who were enlightened by revelation; and even they were frequently inclined to adopt the fuperftitions of their neighbours. We fee then, that, in order to ascertain and fix mens notions of the 3D 2 Divine

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