For it is not

commences into a certain assurance. so much men's reason as their lusts that do object against the reality of the future world; they are loath to believe it, because it disturbs them in their sinful enjoyments, and so their will employs their reason to argue against it; and when once their wills are engaged in the controversy, a very slender probability will weigh more on that side than a clear demonstration on the other. When therefore our wills are taken off by a free resignation of them to God, all that sinful prejudice which renders us now so averse to believe will vanish from our minds; and then we shall see things as they are, and the arguments of another world will appear to our minds with such a convincing evidence, as will quickly dispel all our doubts and uncertainties, and render our faith equivalent to a clear vision. So that we shall pass through all the temptations of the world with the same constancy and resolution of soul, as if we walked in open view of heaven and hell; and these mighty objects, which do so infinitely transcend all the goods and evils which sin can tempt us withal, will have as victorious an influence on our lives, as if they were present, and did strike immediately on our senses. And then, how is it possible that any temptation whatsoever should be able to cope with or prevail against them? For he who is fully persuaded of the reality of heaven and hell must be utterly abandoned of all his reason, if he sin for any good's sake that is less than heaven, or for any evil's sake that is less than hell. When therefore we are drawn to God by such invincible hopes and fears as the firm belief of the other world will suggest to us, how is it possible that any temptation of sin should

either dissuade us from coming to him, or persuade us to forsake him? Wherefore it concerns us to take all possible care to ground our faith well, and improve and strengthen it, that so, in despite of all temptations, it may influence our wills and govern our practice, and safely conduct us through all the snares of this life, and at length bring us home to everlasting happiness.

CHAP. VI.

Of the necessity of having right apprehensions of God, in order to our being truly religious.

IT is a noble and celebrated passage of Epictetus, chap. xxxviii. Τῆς περὶ τοὺς Θεοὺς εὐσεβείας, ἴσθι ὅτι τὸ κυριώτατον ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν, ὀρθὰς ὑπολήψεις περὶ αὐτῶν ἔχειν, ὡς ὄντων, καὶ διοικούντων τὰ ὅλα καλῶς καὶ δικαίως i. e. “ Know "that the main foundation of piety is this, to have

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right apprehensions of the nature of God, and to be "sensible that he is, and that he governs the world "well and justly;" and accordingly the Psalmist, speaking of God, tells us, they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: Psalm ix. 10. i. e. they who have made a true discovery of thy nature, and by observing, as I have done, the glorious effects of thy wisdom, and power, and justice, and goodness, have formed in their minds right and genuine apprehensions concerning thee, will make no scruple to place their whole trust and confidence in thee: which is equally true of all other acts of piety and religion. For the true knowledge of God will as much influence our minds to love and adore him, to praise him and submit to him, as to put our trust

in him; and hence St. Paul ascribes all the impiety and wickedness of the Gentiles to their not liking to retain God in their knowledge; i. e. to their wicked aversion to the true and genuine notions of God, Rom. i. 28.

In the prosecution of this argument I shall endeavour these three things:

First, To shew in what respects right apprehensions of God are necessary to our being truly religious.

Secondly, To lay down some rules for the forming of right apprehensions of God in our minds.

Thirdly, To assign and remove the common causes of our misapprehensions concerning him.

SECT. I.

In what respects right apprehensions of God are necessary to our being truly religious.

IN general, whatsoever is requisite to render men truly religious must be derived from true apprehensions of God, who is the great object of religion. For religion being the rule of divine service must itself be regulated by the divine nature; and without a right understanding of the nature of God, it is impossible we should regulate our religion by it. Now to the right conduct and due regulation of our religion, it is requisite, first, that we should be rightly informed what services are pleasing to God; secondly, that we proceed upon a true principle in serving him; thirdly, that we direct our service to a right end; fourthly, that we be furnished with sufficient motives to engage us to serve him: the want of either of which will prove an irreparable flaw in the

very foundation of our religion, and render the whole not only infirm, but defective in its very constitution. And in all these respects right apprehensions of God are indispensably necessary.

First, They are necessary to instruct us what services are pleasing to God.

Secondly, They are necessary to inform us with the true principle upon which we must serve him. Thirdly, They are necessary to direct us to the true end for which we must serve him.

Fourthly, They are necessary to furnish us with proper motives and encouragements to engage us to serve him.

I. A right apprehension of God is necessary to instruct us what services are pleasing to God. For to be sure nothing can be pleasing to him but what is agreeable to the perfections of his nature, which are the originals from which the eternal laws of religion are transcribed: unless therefore we know what his perfections are, how is it possible we should know what services are agreeable to them? If you would serve a prince gratefully and acceptably, you must inform yourself beforehand what his nature and disposition is, that so you may accommodate yourself thereunto, and compose your actions and behaviour accordingly; that you may furnish him with fresh pleasures, if he be soft and voluptuous, and blow him up with flatteries, if he be proud and vain-glorious; that if he be covetous and tyrannical, you may sponge and oppress his people, and drain their wealth into his coffers; if just and beneficent, you may assist and forward him in righting the injuries, correcting the miscarriages, and alleviating the burdens of his subjects. And thus, if you would serve

the great King of the world in such ways as are pleasing and acceptable to him, you must study his nature, and endeavour to inform yourselves which way his infinite perfections do incline him, that so you may know how to comport yourselves towards him, and to render him such services as are agreeable to his nature. For there is no rule in the world but only that of his nature, by which you can certainly conclude what will please him; and though he hath told you by express revelation what services he expects, and what will please him, yet without recurring to the rule of his nature you can never be secure, either that what he told you is true, or that what he told you was pleasing to him then, is still pleasing to him now. For how can you be secure, either that he told you truly what services were pleasing to him, but only from the truth and veracity of his nature? or that the services which were pleasing to him then are pleasing to him now, but from the stability and unchangeableness of his nature? So that in our inquiries after what is pleasing to God, we cannot depend upon his word without consulting his nature, which is not only the security, but also the test of his word. For it is certain that that cannot be God's word which contradicts his nature; and what plausible pretence soever any doctrine may make to divine revelation, if it teach or command any thing that is apparently repugnant to the divine perfections, we ought for that reason to conclude it an imposture; it being much more possible that the most plausible pretence to revelation should be false, than that God should reveal any doctrine that is repugnant to his nature. So that in all our inquiries what is pleasing to God, our