SERM.row limits, our remembrance is but of yefterVI. day, our consciousness reaches only to a very fhort period. We fee all things about us continually paffing; beings like ourselves difappear after acting their part but a few years on this stage, and their places know them no more. We cannot avoid apprehending the fame fate to ourselves, that we fhall foon withdraw into darkness and make room for others; rather indeed, upon this fuperficial view of things, we are perfectly ignorant of what shall come after. What then? Has exiftence itself no ftable foundation? Is there nothing in nature but a perpetual round . of tranfitory being; nothing we can fix our thoughts upon that is permanent and undecaying, which holds together the whole feries of fucceffive existence, and establishes a connexion of past, present and future? This way of thinking spreads horror and confufion over the whole face of nature, diforder on the origin of all things, and darkness on their laft refult: Nothing looks great, nor fo much as real; existence itself vanishes into a fhadow, and consciousness into a dream, with an univerfal blank before and behind it. But when we see an eternal intelligence, felf-existent and immutable, the fame yesterday and to day and for ever, how is the profpect changed?

Every thing appears in a fair and amiable SE RM, light; however variable the exterior face of VI. nature may be, there is a permanent wisdom in the Cause which directed the beginning of things, and establishes their continuance, which holds faft the foundations of exiftence and unites it to a central point: That gloomy fpectre of eternal nothing flies away, or, which is no better, rather the fame under empty infignificant names, eternal chance or blind undefigning neceffity. This ftate of order, and intelligence at the head of it, is what a wife attentive mind could not but wish for, and rejoice in finding it true, as giving it a comfortable enjoyment of its own exiftence, and a delightful idea of regularity and beauty in the appearance of the univerfe. But when confidering the conftitution of things, our remoteft view either backward or forward terminates in non-entity, or in ignorance and confufion, the prefent ftate itself lofes all its folidity and all its excellence, the highest perfection of being finks into emptiness and vanity. Such is the difmal condition of the Atheist's mind; his existence is his all, and a poor infipid thing it is, fcarce having any enjoyments above the brutal kinds, and its low enjoyments allay'd with fufpicions and fears which the brutal kinds are not capable of: It VOL. I. O knows

SERM.Knows of no being without it to whom it VI. owes itself and all the good which it poffeffes; and therefore nothing to warm it with gratitude, (that noble felicitating affection) nor to be the fupport of its confidence; nothing in the world appears worth the caring for, the world itself is stript of all its glory and beauty. The Atheist finds no wisdom to entertain his understanding with; that order, proportion and harmony, which are fo entertaining to other minds, are loft to him, regarded no otherwise than as chimeras; he fees nothing without him that is excellent, feels nothing within his heart that is generous and manly. Benevolence itself decays, unfupported by any juft fentiments; tho' its root is too deep fix'd by the wife unknown Author of his being, to be altogether extirpated, yet the more he views human nature in the false light of his mean principles, the less amiable it appears. How is humanity funk in these unhappy creatures, and the dignity of our being, indeed of all being, loft to them, through their affected ignorance and perverfeness? Their ftate furely is not to be envied, but extremely to be pitied; their boasted freedom, what is it but a freedom from the knowledge and the mental enjoyment of all that is wife, and good

good and great, which is the principal hap- SER M piness of the human nature.

2dly, In afpecial manner that one unchangeable intelligent, eternal fountain of existence and all perfection, must be transcendently. glorious in our eyes. A mind that reflects on its commencement, confcious of present being and comparing it with former nothing, rejoyces in its own existence, the foundation of all its acts and enjoyments; the fame is the neceffary foundation of all excellence without us. It appears therefore a perfection to be, and yet a greater perfection to continue in being, but an uniform immutable conscious existence, is the utmost conceivable perfection; it is impoffible to imagine any thing beyond it, nay, the imagination cannot comprehend it. This is the character of the Deity, which raises him high in our esteem, and intitles him to that name, which Mofes fays, he gave himself, and claims as peculiarly belonging to him, I AM THAT I AM, importing that he exists in a peculiar manner unchangeably; not like other beings which might not have been at all, or might have been otherwise than they are, depending wholly on the will of their Maker, and may be hereafter quite different from what they are at prefent.

VI.

SERM. Again, God is to be ador'd by us, as being VI. immutable, not only in his Effence, but in 'his purposes. Changes of thought and design are among the most important which befal us, and they are attended with a confcioufness of our own infirmity. How little do we look in our own eyes, when we reflect on that imperfection of understanding, and other frailties, which make it neceffary for us often to alter our refolutions and our conduct; and what a diminutive idea have we of other intelligent beings, whofe fickle tempers vary as outward accidents do? Tho' at the fame time it must be acknowledg'd the glory of imperfect creatures, when thro' weakness they have erred from the truth, and by temptations been led aftray from the paths of righteoufnefs, not to perfift obftinately in their mistakes and evil courses, but to forfake them, and to change their fentiments and their conduct. For truth and right are immutable as God himself, and as he inviolably cleaves to them through the abfolute perfection of his nature, fo ought we return to them, renouncing the errors. and faults into which we have fallen, through the imperfection of ours. But how glorious is it and excellent to be of one mind, and to preferve the fame unvaried temper and

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