upon the world, the natural conviction of this grand truth had always some effect upon the minds of the great mass of mankind; but that effect was faint and feeble when compared with what will reasonably be expected of us, on whom the Sun of Righteousness has beamed with the fullest lustre. What they only very reasonably conjectured, we know to be true; what they thought probable, we have been assured of. Having, therefore, a surer guide, we shall be the more to blame if we mistake the way. To this guide I shall shortly direct your attention in a more particular manner; my object at present being only to press upon your notice the obligations which naturally flow from our belief in the BEING and PROVIDENCE of GOD; and these are love, reverence, trust, and obedience.

SERMON II.

НЕВ. і. 1.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers.

HAVING laid before you the proofs from reason and observation, of the existence and providence of God, and called your attention to the duties and obligations thence arising; I proceed now to speak to you concerning REVEALED RELIGION, i. e. those discoveries which God has made of himself to man.

REVELATION means unveiling or discovering, making known what we could not find out by any exertion of our own faculties; and revealed religion signifies that knowledge of God, his properties, and his will, which he has conveyed to us by special messengers, and which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Of the power of God to make this disclosure of his will to man, it is, I should think, scarcely necessary for me to say a

word. No one, who acknowledges him as the Creator of the world, can have any doubt of his power to make any discoveries concerning himself, and by any instruments he might think proper. The question, therefore, cannot be as to his power, but as to his dignity and majesty. But, surely, when the Almighty found that the law, which was originally planted in their minds, was not equal to the office of subduing the corrupted inclinations, and regulating the conduct of his rational creatures, it was quite consistent with his dignity and his majesty to give them a more distinct and positive law, which should be a guide to their conduct, and which they should be bound to obey. For if the majesty of God be incomprehensible, so is his goodness infinite. When his creatures had fallen into great errors both of belief and practice; had become superstitious and worshippers of false gods; and, abusing their natural light, had fallen into every kind and degree of wickedness; it was worthy of God's love and goodness to give them new laws accompanied with new sanctions.

This, accordingly, HE has done he has made a revelation of himself; or rather, I should say, revelations, for he has made And these revelations re

more than one.

late to very important subjects.

I observed, in my last discourse, that from

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reflecting on the power and goodness of God, man would naturally collect the duty of worshipping his Creator. But he could not, by the same process, discover what mode of worship would be most pleasing to HIM. Numberless ceremonies accordingly, and costly sacrifices were adopted, and many absurd and vain practices became general among the nations. This, therefore, was a subject of revelation, and man was instructed to serve his Maker in the fervency of the spirit, and in the simplicity of truth.

Again: Man might collect from his reason, that virtue would be required at his hands, and that he was bound to exercise justice and benevolence towards his fellowcreatures. But he stood in need of authority to restrain his selfish desires from overpowering the dictates of justice, and the feelings of loving-kindness. Here, then, revelation came to the aid of reason, strengthened man's good principles, and restrained his evil propensities. It shewed him the will of his Maker, and pointed out the consequences of disobeying it.

Again: Man might have good reason to hope for, and to believe in the immortality of the soul-He might, by reflecting on the very nature of his soul, see reason for thinking that it would not perish with his body, but continue to exist in another state.

Finding that it could not satisfy its desires upon earth, that it had a natural horror at the thought of being destroyed; and that this feeling was universal, that is, entertained by people of all nations, he would be led to believe that God had designed it for a more extended existence; and in point of fact the ancient heathens did so believe.

From the habits of life of the great majority of those to whom I am now speaking, it is not to be expected, that they should either relish or understand an abstruse argument, drawn from the consideration of the natural powers, faculties, desires, and aspirations of the soul of man; and therefore I forbear to pursue this course, by which, without the aid of revelation, we might come to a probable conclusion as to the imperishable nature of the soul. But I will add another reflection, leading to the same conclusion, which is plain to the least learned amongst us; and that is, the inference to be drawn from the present circumstances of the world.

We see that things are very unequally distributed in this world, and that wicked men are often possessed of every thing necessary to render life comfortable and happy, while virtuous men are often plunged into the greatest degree of distress and