SERM. the improvement of that belief to practical VI. purposes.

Thirdly, If we consider the attributes of God which are exercised in his works, and whereof we find some imperfect image in ourselves and other inferior beings, (though they are much more clearly understood than those already mentioned, eternity, immenfity, and self-existence, which are the characters of his being; yet) in some respects the same judgment is to be made of them, namely, that they are incomprehensible. Power is the first of this kind that occurs to our thoughts: We are naturally led to it by the confideration of visible appearances in the world which must be attributed to a cause. We find also an activity in ourselves, whereby we are able, not only to produce some effects within our minds, but also to move the members of our own bodies, and by them some other bodies. But by none of these methods can we form an adequate notion of infinite power, that is, which reaches to the utmost extent of poffibility, or whatever does not imply a contradiction in itself, or an imperfection in the agent, which is what we mean by the divine omnipotence. We know that the active principle in our own nature is limited, but that in the perfection of being it tranfcends all its effects, not communicating

municating an activity, which is its excellence, SERM. equal to its own, nor being exhausted by its VI. operations. For whatever we have done, the power remains, and we can do more; but many things we cannot do, which may be, and are effected by superior agents. And when we contemplate the variety of beings in heaven and earth, some of them vastly great, which are all the works of God, they give us a very magnificent idea of his power; which is heightened by reasoning, as we always do on the subject of power, that it exceeds the effects, and is still capable of producing more. And if the effects themselves transcend our knowledge, as they evidently do, how can we comprehend the power of the cause ? This is excellently represented by Job in these words; Dead things are formed from under the earth, and the inhabitants thereof. (Vaft creatures, of gigantick bulk, are fashioned in the dark recesses of the terraqueous globe.) Hell is naked before him, and deftruction hath no covering. He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick cloud, and the cloud is not rent under them. He holdeth back the face of his throne (or of heaven) and spreadeth his cloud upon it. He bath compaffed the water with bounds until the day and

SERM.night come to an end. The pillars of heaven VI. tremble and are astonished at bis reproof; be divideth the fea with his power, and by his understanding smiteth through the proud. (The mountains, which feem to be the pillars and supporters of heaven, shake by his lightening and thunder; and he raiseth fuch tempefts as divide the waters of the fea, making deep furrows in it, yet he knows how to depress its proud waves, reducing them to a dead calm.) By bis Spirit be bath garnishd the heaven, his hand hath formed the crooked ferpent. (He hath adorned the heavens with the stars which make the milky way, and other beautiful constellations with all their admirable windings.) Lo these are part of his ways, but how little a portion is heard of him, the thunder of his power who can understand? But the power of God, as high as it is above our understandings, and incomprehenfible by them, does not for that reason appear so shocking as to give any occasion for doubting its reality, or any pretence for not making it the object of our careful and affectionate attention. Shall we be fo

vain as to imagine that there is not, nor can be, any power greater than our own, or even than we can comprehend? By instances which continually occur to us, we know there is a

1

great diversity of operation in nature, and of

operating power; and that the perceptions weSERM. have of operations and powers of one kind, VI. can give us no idea of operations and powers of another kind. For example, the operations of material causes has no manner of affinity with the activity of our minds. Does the clearest apprehenfion of the force of weights and springs give us any notion of sentiments arifing, and dispositions exerting themselves in a spirit, and its giving a new determination to the exercise of its own faculties, and raising a new motion in bodies ? Supposing an intelligent being to have no idea of any powers but those of mechanism, (which is not an impoffible supposition, for there does not appear to us any fuch connexion between the ideas of paffive perception and mental activity, but that they may be separated) but supposing this, would not spontaneous action be perfectly incomprehenfible to fuch an intelligent being? Yet we know that it exists. Why then should a power different from, and fuperior to any we are confcious of, or can have the adequate idea of by the ordinary operations of nature, be imagined an abfurdity, or be disregarded under the pretence of its being unintelligible, when we have convincing -proof of its existence.

1

SERM. Again; The knowledge of God furpasses
VI. our comprehenfion, as well as his power, ex-

tending to all things knowable, as the other
does to all things possible. I have already had
occafion, more than once, of observing the
narrowness and weakness of the human mind,
which by its faculties and ways of perceiving,
at least in the present state, is not fitted for
great proficiency in speculative knowledge;
but only is furnished, by the means of fenfa-
tion and reflection, with fuch perceptions as
may answer the end of directing its practice
in order to the attaining such happiness as it
is capable of. It is no wonder then, that the
knowledge of the most comprehenfive views
which the great maker of all things has of
his own works, and all the powers, (with all
the possible exertions of them,) which he has
communicated to any of those his creatures,
that, I say, the knowledge of this should be
too high for us to understand, and that we
cannot find it out to perfection. He must
know the inmost effences of things, for he has
made them: He must know the utmost effects
of nature, and the utmost activity and ope-
ration of all inferior beings, for they all ne-
ceffarily depend upon him. This meditation
is very rationally, as well as devoutly, pursued
by the Pfalmist, particularly in the instance

of