the knowledge of God, to application to God. All thy works praise thee, O Lord. Holy fcripture comes in pursuance of thefe, to repeat and reinforce them. So that he must of neceffity be very diffolute and profligate, in respect of his life and manners, of a havocked confcience, of a stupid mind and confounded understanding; who being partaker of intellectual nature, intelligent by virtue of his faculties, living in the midst of fo many fpeaking arguments, (for things fpeak) doth not spell God out, in the variety or curiofity of his creatures, nor underftand the audible language of heaven and earth. Whatfoever man endued with mind and understanding, partaker of human nature, that hath no regard and apprehenfions of God as the firft and chiefeft good, as the original of our beings, the center of our fouls, our utmost end; he hath confounded his principles, loft himself in the world, funk down into fenfuality and brutifhness, or elfe in a compromife with the devil; for he is departed from his nature, so that they are without excufe. God hath made himself so far knowable, both that he is, and what he is, by thofe great effects of creation and providence, that all that are partakers of human nature, and are devoid of fenfe of God, are without excufe.

Now I conclude with fome few obfervations. I. I take notice of the infinite patience of God, to endure fuch monfters, fo degenerated from their make, as men of ftupid minds, havocked confciences, and profligate lives, are. God hath endured. the contradiction of finners, from Adam's fall, to this hour; Heb. xii. 3.

2. Then

:

but actum agere.

bear them

2. Then the business of the day of judgment is very eafy on God's part, but very fad on degenerate mens part. For God's work is prepared to his hands all finners are self-condemned; God doth But then fad on the impenitents part; for they have nothing left within them to up, the very reafon of their minds is against them. Nothing is more inherent to the nature of man, than for a man to live up to the dictates of fober and impartial reafon. Now if men do not fo, when they come to confider, the very thoughts and fenfe of it will overbear them. I must needs tell the loofe, profane world; thofe who being harden'd by cuftom and practice, do controul grounds and principles of fober reafon and judgment, thinking all to be lawful that others do, and the guife of the world an account of action; pretending the doubtfulness and uncertainty of reason, from the feveral opinions of incompetent perfons (which is the only defence and apology for exorbitant living, fuch credulous perfons have ;) willing to believe what their lufts lead them to, and what they would fain have to be true; I must tell them, that if ever they come to be awakened, to have ferious thoughts, to reflect upon themselves; comparing what they have done, with principles of fevere and impartial reason, not born to gratify sense, or to comply with humour; they will prove burdenfome to their confcience, and to the fenfe of nature; fo that they will be confounded in themselves, ready to call on mountains and hills to fall upon them, and cover them from the face of their judge; and VOL. III. N

will

will be found fpeechless. And this is that that is the foundation of all inward darkness; either not ufing the principles of our creation, or elfe abufing them, by complying with the corrupt guife of the world, or what mens own lufts incline them to.

3. I take notice of the greatness of the work of reconciliation. A man must be made whole in himfelf, or else he cannot be kept out of hell. Man cannot be at ease till all that he hath finfully done; be undone; till right judgment, which hath been violently forced, be renewed; and regular life and conversation reftor'd. Now these are the materials of regeneration. There is in regeneratión, a tranfformation of the whole inward man, fo far forth as he hath apoftatized. For he must be brought to comply with the unchangeable laws of righteoufness, goodness, and truth; and to a right use of his faculties. All this must be done; and this must be done by mental illumination, conviction, and fatisfaction; and by a man's giving confent, that all these things be done in him, and upon him. The fcripture way of dealing with man, in matters of religion, is always by evidence of reafon and arguThese three things must be the sense of the foul must incline to God, muft have a divine impreffion upon it, which will carry a man toward God; the reafon of the mind must be the fame, and in reconciliation with the reason of things; and fevere and impartial reason govern and rule in life.

ment.

Religion, indeed, is openly contradicted by the licentious practices of fuch who take to themselves power and priviledge to do as they lift but it is mifrepresented,

195

mifreprefented, fcandalized, made ridiculous and contemptible, by the fond imaginations, naufeous, fulfome principles of the fuperftitious and I reckon that what hath not reason in it, or for it, if held out for religion, is man's fuperftition. Some things of this nature may be well meant, by those who are weak; but it is not religion of God's making; but we make ourselves flaves, to be under the power of it. It is the excellency of religion, that it is highly reasonable, gives an account of itself to man's mind, and satisfies. Truth clears itself, and disclofes its contrary error.

DISCOURSE LIX.

The unnatural Ingratitude of the Profane and Irreligious.

ROM. i. 21.

Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful.

I

Have formerly spoken to that which is funda mental to all religion and confcience; I have given you an account from our apoftle, in the former verfe, of the natural knowledge of God : that is, that God in the moment of his creation, did make man capable of knowing him; fo as to know that he is; and in fome measure, to conceive what he is, and what are his effential perfections, N 2

his

his wifdom, power, and goodness upon which it follows, that men do grievously miscarry, are very fhort, do not answer the principles of God's creation, nor do that which is agreeable to their natures and make, if they do not glorify God as God, neither are thankful to him.

I will only take notice of two things in all the words of the chapter that follow; that is,

I. The use and improvement the apostle makes of this natural knowledge of God, which he hath afferted; and

II. The mischievous effects that follow upon mens grofs neglect of this knowledge of God, of which they are capable.

I. The use and improvement of this principle, that God is fairly knowable by the works of his creati on, if we awaken our faculties, if we call ourselves to confideration. And I think I have made it appear, that there is nothing more knowable than that there is a God and that there is a peculiarity in mind and understanding in man to this purpose. Now this being confidered, and here fuppofed, the apoftle brings in a charge of a high nature: for he makes it an argument of conviction and self-condemnation, to all those that are diffolute, impious, and profane; that men do not answer their natural knowledge of God; that they knowing him, do not live in regard of him, have him not in reverence, do not obey him, love him, fear him, ferve him, admire and adore him. And this will be the condemnation of the whole world: and this will be the

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article,