perfect than the other, and therefore imperfect, and therefore not God. Befides, as the whole Courfe of Nature appears to proceed uniformly under one Direction; there is, without Queftion, only one Director; not feveral, thwarting each other.

1

And what Reafon teaches in this Matter, Scripture every where confirms: forbidding us to worship, or believe in, any other Deity, than the one Maker and Ruler of Heaven and Earth; who hath manifefted himfelf to all Men by the Works of his Hands; to the Patriarchs and Jews, by the Revelations, recorded in Mofes and the Prophets; and finally to Chriftians, by his Son our Lord: who, in a Way and Manner to us inconceivable, is one with the Father; and the Holy Spirit with both as I have already fhewn you, in difcourfing on the Creed.

There being then this one only God; the Commandment before us enjoins,

I. That we have him for our God:

II. That we have no other.

I. That we have him: that is, think fo of him, and behave fo to him, as his infinite Perfection, and our abfolute Dependance on him, require: which general Duty towards God, our Catechifm very justly branches out into the following Particulars.

First, That we believe in him. For he that cometh to God, muft believe that he is. The Foundation on which this Belief ftands, I have fhewn in its proper Place. And the great Thing, in which it confifts, is, that we fix firmly in our Minds, recall frequently to our Memories, and imprint deeply upon our Hearts, an awful Perfuafion of the Being and Presence, the Power and Juftice, the Holiness and Truth, of this great Lord of all. The Confequence of this will be,

Secondly, That we fear him. For fuch Attributes as thefe, duly confidered, muft fill the most innocent Creatures with Reverence and Self-abafement. But

Heb. xi. 6.

finful

finful and guilty ones, as we know ourselves to have been, have Caufe to feel yet ftronger Emotions in their Souls from fuch a Meditation: Apprehenfions of his Displeasure, and Solicitude for his Pardon; leading us naturally to that penitent Care of our Hearts, and Lives, on which he hath gracioufly affured us, that, through Faith in Christ Jefus, we fhall be forgiven. And then, Gratitude for his Mercy will prompt us to the

Third Duty towards him, which our Catechism specifies, that we love him: the Fear of the Lord being, as the Son of Sirach declares, the Beginning of his Love". For whenever we come to reflect seriously on that Goodnefs, which hath given us all the Comforts that we enjoy; that Pity which offers Pardon, on most equitable Terms, for all the Faults that we have committed.; that Grace, which enables us to perform every Duty acceptably; and that infinite Bounty, which rewards our imperfect Performances with eternal Happiness: we cannot but feel ourselves bound to love fuch, a Bene factor, with all our Heart, and with all our Mind, with all our Soul, and all our Strength; to rejoice in being under his Government; make our Boast of him all the Day long and choose him for our Portion for ever *, A Mind, thus affected, would be uneafy, without paying the Regard fet down in the

Fourth Place, which is, to worship him to acknowledge our Dependance, and pay our Homage to him; both in private, to preserve and improve a Sense of Religion in ourselves; and in public, to fupport and spread it in the World. The firft Part of Worfhip, mentioned in the Catechifm, and the firft in a natural Order of Things, is giving him Thanks. God originally made and fitted all his Creatures for Happiness: if any of them have made themselves miferable, this doth not leffen their Obligation of Thankfulness to him: but his continuing ftill good, and abounding in Forgiveness and

h Ecclus. xxv. 12.

Pfal. xliv. 3.

G4

* Pfal. lxxiii. 2.

Libe

Liberality, increases that Obligation unfpeakably. With a grateful Senfe of his paft Favours is closely connected, putting our Trust in him for the Time to come. And justly doth the Catechifm require it to be our whole Truft. For his Power and Goodness are infinite: those of every Creature may fail us; and all that they can poffibly do for us, proceeds ultimately from him. Now a principal Expreffion of Reliance on God is, petitioning for his Help. For if we pray in Faith', we shall live fo too. And therefore trufting in him, which might have been made a feparate Head, is included in this of Worship; and put between the first Part of it, giving Thanks to him; and the fecond, calling upon him: according to that of the Pfalmift; O Lord, in thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded. To call upon God, is to place ourselves in his Prefence; and there to beg of him, for ourselves and each other, with unfeigned Humility and Submiffion, fuch Affiftance in our Duty, fuch Provifion for our Wants, and fuch Defence against our Enemies, of every Kind, as infinite Wisdom fees fit for us all. After this evident Obligation, follows a

Fifth not lefs fo: to honour his holy Name and Word: not presuming even to speak of the great God in a negligent Way; but preferving, in every Expreffion and Action, that Reverence to him, which is due: paying, not a fuperftitious, but a decent and refpectful Regard, to whatever bears any peculiar Relation to him; his Day, his Church, his Minifters: but efpecially honouring his holy Word, the Law of our Lives and the Foundation of our Hopes, by a diligent Study and firm Belief of what it teaches; and that univerfal Obedience to what it commands, which our Catechifm referves for the

Sixth and laft, as it is undoubtedly the greatest, Thing: to ferve him truly all the Days of our Life. Obedience is the End of Faith and Fear; the Proof of Love; the Foundation of Truft; the neceffary Qualification, to

James i. 6. v. 15.

Pfal. xxxi. 1,

make

make Worship, and Honour of every Kind, acceptable. This therefore must complete the Whole, that we walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless", not thinking any one fo difficult, as to defpair of it; or so small, as to despise it; and never be weary in welldoing: for we fhall reap in due Seafon, if we faint not° : and be alone fhall be faved, that endureth to the End. But we muft now proceed to obferve,

II. That, as this Commandment requires us to ac knowledge the one true God; fo it forbids us to acknowledge any other.

Both before, and long after the Law of Mofes was given, the Generality of the World entertained a Belief, that there were many Gods: a great Number of Beings, fuperior to Men, that amongst them governed the World, and were fit Objects of Devotion. To thefe, as their own Fancy, or the Folly or Fraud of others led them, they afcribed more or lefs both of Power and Goodness; attributed to feveral of them the vileft Actions, that could be; fupposed them to prefide, fome over one Nation or City, fome over another; worshipped a few or a Multitude of them, juft as they pleafed; and that with a strange Variety of Ceremonies, absurd and impious, immoral and barbarous. Amidft this Crowd of imaginary Deities, the real one was almoft entirely forgot: falfe Religion and Irreligion divided the World between them; and Wickednefs of every Kind was authorized by both. The Cure: for thefe dreadful Evils muft plainly be, reftoring the old true Notion of one only God, ruling the World himself which therefore was the first great Article of the Jewish Faith, as it is of ours.

Christians can hardly in Words profefs a Plurality of Gods: but in Reality they do, if they fuppofe the divine Nature common to more than one Being; or think our Saviour, or the Holy Spirit, mere Creatures, and yet pay them divine Honours. But befides these, we

"Luke i. 6..

Gal. vi. 9.
G S

Matth. xxiv. rg. apprehend

apprehend the Church of Rome to fin against the prefent Commandment, when they pray to Angels, to the holy Virgin and the Saints, as being able every where to hear them; and having not only temporal Relief, but Grace and Salvation, in their Power to beftow. Nay, were the Plea, which they fometimes make, a true one; that they only pray to them to intercede with God; yet it would be an infufficient one. For there is no Reason to believe, that they have any Knowledge of fuch Prayers or if they had, as there is one God, fo there is one Mediator between God and Man . And we have neither Precept, nor Allowance, nor Example, in the whole Bible, of applying to any other, amongst all the abfent Inhabitants of the invifible World.

But there are several Ways more, of tranfgreffing this Commandment. If we afcribe Things, which befall us, to Fate, or to Chance, or to Nature; and mean any Thing real by thefe Words, different from that Order, which our Maker's Providence hath appointed; we fet up in Effect other Gods, befides him. If we imagine the Influence of Stars, the Power of Spirits, in fhort any Power whatever, to be independent on him, and capable of doing the least Matter, more than he judges proper to permit that it fhould; this alfo is having more Gods than one. If we fet up ourselves, or others, above him; and obey, or expect any one else to obey, Man rather than God; here again is in Practice, though not in Speculation, the fame Crime. If we love or trust in uncertain Riches, more than the living God; this is that Covetousness, which is Idolatry. If we purfue unlawful fenfual Pleasures, inftead of delighting in his Precepts; this is making a God of our own Belly. In a Word, if we allow ourfelves to practife any Wickedness whatever, we ferve, by fo doing, the falfe God of this World", inftead of the true God of Heaven, befides whom we ought not to have any other: and therefore to whom alone be, as is moft due, all Honour and Obedience, now and for ever. Amen.