SERM. and we are without excuse if we do not glos VI. rify him as God, and if we be not thankful, but become vain in our imaginations, neglec ting his fervice and giving ourselves up to vile affections. St. Paul obfeves very justly, that *the world by wifdom knew not God, meaning the Greek Philofophers who fought after wifdom; they pretended to, at leaft aimed at a comprehenfive knowledge of every thing, but by a fond conceit of their own abilities, they were misled in their curious ill-conducted inquiries into dangerous errors, fome of them into atheism itself. The fame author directs us to a fafer and more fuccefsful method of inquiry, when he says, + If any man love God, the fame is known of him, rather it should be tranflated, he is made to know him; by a fincere attention to the discoveries God has made of. himself to men, with good difpofitions, fuch knowledge may be attained as is fufficient to excite devout affections, which is the true end of knowledge.

If we proceed farther in the confideration of this point, we shall find that the incomprehenfibleness of God is, not only no reafon for our having any doubts concerning his being and attributes, or for our neglecting to think of him, but that on the contrary, it contains powerful motives to pious affections, and me

ditations

I Cor. i. 21.

+ Chr. viii. 4.

ditations. I do not say that ignorance can SERM produce devotion, its only genuine offspring is VI. blind fuperftition. We read that St. Paul' obferving at Athens the devotion of the people, saw an altar inscribed to the unknown God, which gave him an occafion to inftruct them, by declaring to them the God whom they worshipped ignorantly, not by describing his metaphyfical effence, but reprefenting him under the plain character of the maker of the world and all things that are therein. But there is a great difference between ignorance of God, that is of what may be known of him, which is perfectly inconfiftent with true piety, taking away the very foundation of it, between that, I fay, and an inability to comprehend him fully, which is acknowledged to be the condition of the most enlarged human understanding; the former must render men uncapable of any rational worship, the latter fhould only check vain presumption, but not hinder humble and fober inquiries into, and affectionate meditations upon, what fo nearly concerns us, indeed is of the greateft poffible importance both to our duty and our intereft.

Let us therefore confider, that the difficulty of this fubject, fo far as it is peculiar, (for the effences of all things are above our comprehenfion)

Acts xvii.

SERM. henfion) arifes from its peculiar excellency, VL. and the very reason why we cannot compre

hend it, is its tranfcendent perfection, which, instead of abating, should increase our affectionate regards, Admiration is natural to the mind of man, and accompanies its most delightful entertainments. The objects of af fection, which are thoroughly understood, and we are fure every thing in them that can excite defire is completely known, become familar even to fatiety; the mind regards them with indifference, nay fome degree of contempt, as imagining itself to have a kind of superiority over them, but its naturally afpiring powers apply themselves with fresh vigor, and ftill with fresh pleasure, to the contemplation of excellence, which 'tis fenfible is an over-match for its capacity, and still the more it is confidered, the more it appears to have a dignity and beauty in it which furpaffes our thoughts. This fhews that God has made the foul for himself, and for beholding his glory, having given it fuch a conftitution that no perfection lefs than infinite, that is none but his own, can fully fatisfy it. For, whereas our lower appetites and paffions, and the pleafure that attends the gratification of them, are limited as the objects are, fo that when they exceed the proper limits which are fixed

to

4

to their natural ftate, they become hurtful SERM, and uneafy instead of pleasant, there are no VI. bounds to our beft affections (affections to rational and moral excellence, which is the divine excellence) nor to the most agreeable fenfations wherewith they are accompanied; reverence, esteem, love, defire, delight, can never be raised, even in our imagination, to fuch a height, but that they are capable of increase, and the reafon is, because the proper object of them is infinite and incomprehenfible. Why should we then ftain the glory of our nature? Why should we abuse our noble powers to unworthy purposes and prostitute them to mean enjoyments? Let us follow the directions of the law of our nature, and attend thofe lower affairs which the condition of the prefent life requires, as it is the will of God we should, but not make them our principal business and our highest enjoyment. Let our chief care be to know God, and our chief delight to converfe with him in the manner we are now capable of, that we may be fitted for that happy state in which we shall fee him as he is, more directly and immediately than we do at present, yet not so as to comprehend him; but our knowledge fhall be always increasing, and with it our happiness, for no finite mind can understand the Almighty to perfection

SERMON VII.

The Divine Perfections incomprehenfible.

SERM.
VII.

Job xi. 7.

Canft thou by fearching find out God? canft thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection.

I

N the foregoing difcourfe, from these words, I endeavoured to fhew, that the nature and perfections of God are, and neceffarily must be, to us, incomprehenfible. I defign at this time to confider them in a different fenfe, but which they will as well bear, namely, as importing the unfearchableness of the divine counfels and administration of providence. This feems, indeed, to be directly the defign of the text, for the occafion of it being a warm debate between Job and his friends upon the fubject of his extraordinary afflictions, and he having, in the preceding chapter, uttered fome very paffionate complaints, Zopbar, much to the purpose, puts him in mind of the depth of God's judg

ments,