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pleafing to God for that Reason, because he re- CHAP. ceives no Injury from them; fuch a Scheme they XI. think worthy to come from him; and in a wrong Meaning, can, with our Author*, quote Job and Efdras; for that, If thou finneft, what doeft thou against him? Or if thy Tranfgreffions are multiply'd, what doeft thou unto him? What is Man that thou fhouldeft take Difpleasure at him? Or what is a corruptible Generation, that thou shouldest be so bitter towards it?

BUT their Brother Deifts, the ancient and modern Heathens, from the Light of Nature, had quite different Notions of the Deity; being in their religious Applications univerfally imprefs'd with a Sense of his Difpleasure against Sin, and a Fear of his Justice in punishing for it, though it wrought no Repentance; and of their own Unworthiness to approach, and Incapacity to atone him without Sacrifices, and Mediators many. They wander'd accordingly with great Anxiety of Mind in Shadows and Darknefs, wishing for Inftruction and Revelation from Heaven. Whilft the Christian Deifts (if I may call them fo who live in a Christian Country) enjoy the Light and the Substance of the one true Mediator, and his only Sacrifice for Sin; but come not to the Light, because their Deeds are Evil; they love thofe Deeds, and therefore they hate a Religion which gives fuch evident Marks and Demonstrations of God's Hatred of Sin.

2. How does any pofitive Punishment of Sin appear in their Scheme? Where there is no Punishment annex'd, the Law of Virtue and good

Page 34.

Morals

CHAP. Morals is no more than an Intreaty, and Letter XI. of Request to the Subjects, (as was fhewn before)

and if it is not pofitively threaten'd to be inflicted, there appears no pofitive Concern in the Governor, whether his Laws are obey'd, or not. Punishment is the Language and Reason that authoritatively convinces thofe Paffions of incogitent Sinners, which govern them more than their Understanding, and make them the Slaves they are to their Sins. And the Sufferance of eternal Vengeance is ordained as an effectual counterbalance to the Violence of their sensual Paffions and Appetites, to arreft their wrong Choice, and fet it to rights.

WHOEVER thinks at all, can never be always fo ftupid, as to chufe that dreadful Confequence every Time he chufes his Sin; and when he finds himself unable to separate that Confequence from his Sin, it will force him to the Thoughts of divorcing himself from it, and reforming his Life. But if there is no other Punishment, nor ill Confequences in a wicked Life, as the Deifts give out, than the natural Punishment and Confequences attendant upon Sin; and they being known beforehand what they are, either in themselves, or others, they are ready to chufe fuch a tolerable future Evil for the Sake of prefent beloved Sins. And thus a Door is fet open, as far as their pious Endeavours can contribute, to over-run the World with all Wickedness, and stock Hell with miferable Sinners paft Redemption.

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3. How does it appear from their Scheme, that God has any Regard to that which is to be taken Care of in the first Place, his own Authority over us as a Governor, and his Right to our

Obedience;

XI.

Obedience; or to the afcertaining his Subjects CHAP. what his Laws are, which they are to observe? For if according to their Gofpel of Nature, as they love to call it, God could freely and abfolutely pardon all the Sins of the World, without any Respect to the Interpofition of a Mediator, or any Propitiation, or Sacrifice, or condign Punishment, to make Satisfaction to the Juftice and facred Honour of the Divine Laws, or preferve, or recover Mens Reverence of the Authority of the heavenly Governor: Upon this Suppofition, what awful Ideas have we left of the Divine Juftice, Holiness, or Authority, to intimidate any one Offender, fo much as for one Day, to abftain from any Iniquity he is inclined to, or forbear infulting his Maker daily to his Face? Seeing it is no Provocation to him, as is very plain, from his proftituting his Pardons at that rate.

If nothing had been done in Confideration of the Pardon of Sin, for deterring us from it, Sin would have been as nothing to us, the Pardon and the Pardoner equally defpifed. Whilft the Method he has taken to forgive, was taken in or der to rouze up the Reafon of the Sinner, though tied and bound with the Chain of his Sins, into an Admiration as well as Conviction of the Pitifulness of his great Mercy in readiness to release and loose him in that Way, if he will but confent to part with his Sins and his Chains. If he punishes for Sin, it is evident, it must be after this, from an arbitrary Will and Power, which thefe Gentlemen exclude out of their Notion of God; it can't be any more out of Principles of Justice, or Regard to his own Honour; for they are all forfeited in the Eyes of his Subjects, by the Deifti

cal

XI.

CHAP. cal Scheme. And thus God muft tamely refign his Authority to his Creature Man, and leave him to be a Law to himself. So prophanely ridiculous are the Confequences flowing from their Principles.

AN D'as God is of little Ufe in their Scheme, their Law of Nature is equally infignificant: Being unwritten, unconnected, and uncollected in a full Body, with all its Particulars; scatter'd in the Ethicks, or Offices of this Man, and in the Fragments of another, and incapable of being recommended by competent Authority by any one mere Man, as all Men are equal. It is like the Light within, in their own keeping, to be vary'd, difpens'd with, and interpreted to their own Occafions; arbitrary as they are in their own respective Determinations, and uncontrouled by any. And as they are Mafters of themfelves, accountable to none, who is Lord over them? It is a great Convenience to their free Way of thinking, and living, to have an inward Religion,' which they can fo easily accommodate to it. And this, perhaps, is a fecret Reason of no small Influence, why they are fo very much against reveal'd Religion; becaufe that is written, and particularly explicit in the Particulars of Morality and Obedience, and therefore not fo complaifant and tractable to their Purpose.

Now, if the Gospel of Chrift exhibits the Law of Nature in its full Extent, and in the trueft Perfection of its Meaning and Obligation, and enforces it by the fame Divine Authority that made it; as the End and Scope it has to fulfil, by the Affiftance of Divine Means, Motives, Aids, Helps Inftruments that were wanting, and pur

pofely

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pofely reveal'd to compleat the Obfervance of it CHAP. in all our Behaviour; and if it fets forth the Ju- XI. ftice, the Honour, and the Authority of God in all becoming Influences, as they are related to our Thoughts, Words, and A&ions; if it af fures us of the certain tremendous Punishment of unrepented Sin; and demonftrates the Divine Hatred of it in the highest Degree imaginable; and all in the Example of Chrift fuffering in our Stead; and if the Purpose of Punishment, and all the Ends of the Divine Law are better obtained, than if we had fuffer'd ourselves, or been abfolved from our Sins without his doing any thing for us: Then, there appearing fo many furprizing Demonftrations of the Divine Wif dom and Counfel in this Abyss of it; it must be own'd a Religion worthy to proceed from God, and perfectly becoming him to establish in the World. And confequently that the Reverse of this, the Religion of the Deifts amongst us, must be Weakness and Folly; a Contradiction to the Attributes and Perfections of the Divine Nature; an unreasonable Endeavour to fubvert the Measures of the Divine Economy, that are fo full of the best Reasons and Perfections of the best Government; as well as of the highest Comfort and Confolation unto Man. And, perhaps, in the Opinion and Use of most of them, their pretended Religion, in ferious Earneft, is no other than an hypocritical Skreen for a refolv'd Attachment to the World, and their own Lufts.

BUT more especially, if the Love, Mercy, and Goodness of God appear likewife with more Luftre, and to more worthy Effects in this Difpenfation of each of them, through the Death of the Mediator, than in their prefumptuous, arbitrary

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