both thefe pofitions. There are, however, feveral particular exceptions, as is well known.

Mercy requires, that fuch perfons as repent and amend, fhould have opportunities of fresh trial, and of retrieving, afforded them. And this is remarkably fo in the general. Moft men are tried again and again before their healths, fortunes, credit, &c. become irrecoverable. And yet there are fome inftances of extraordinary severity upon the very firft offence.

Now, it may be obferved of all these inftances, that the general tenor is fufficient to establish the attributes here afferted; it being reasonable to expect, from our ignorance of the present state, and much more from that of the future one, that great difficulties and exceptions muft occur to us. And as these unfearchable judgments of GOD ferve to humble us, and make us fenfible of our ignorance, they even concur with the general tenor.

PROP. XI.

GOD is to be confidered by us, not only as our Creator, but also as our Governor, Judge, and Father.

THAT GOD is our Creator, is evident from the three first propofitions; in which his independency and infinite power are established, from the neceffity which we finite and dependent beings have of an infinite and independent Creator: and this appellation belongs to him alone.

The three following appellations are first applied to earthly fuperiors; and therefore belong to GOD only in an analogical fenfe. It is, however, a fenfe of infinite importance to be acknowledged and regarded by us: let us, therefore, fee in what manner

analogies drawn from language, and from the phanomena of nature, lead us to call GoD our governor, judge, and father.

As GOD is our Creator, he has, according to the analogy of language, a right to dispose of us, to govern and judge us, and is alfo our father in a much higher fenfe than our natural parents, who are only occafional causes, as it were, of our existence. In like manner, his infinite power and knowledge entitle him to be our governor, and his infinite benevolence to be our father: the intimations alfo which he gives of his will, both in his word and works, and the rewards and punishments which he bestows in the way of natural confequences, as we term it, all fhew, that he is our governor and judge. And as the moral attributes afferted in the latt proposition may be deduced from thefe appellations of governor, judge, and father, established on independent principles, fo they, when proved by their own peculiar evidences, infer these appellations: all which may be fummed up in this general pofition, that the events of life, and the use of language, beget fuch trains of ideas and affociations in us, as that we cannot but ascribe all morally good qualities, and all venerable and amiable appellations, to the Deity; at the fame time that we perceive the meaning of our expreffions not to be strictly the fame, as when they are applied to men; but an analogical meaning, however a higher, more pure, and more perfect one. The juftnefs of this application is farther confirmed by the common consent of all ages and nations, and by the whole tenor of the fcriptures.

If it be faid, that fince this method of speaking is not strictly literal and true, but merely popular and anthropomorphitical, it ought to be rejected; I anfwer, that even the attributes of independency, omnipotence, omniscience, and infinite benevolence, though the

most pure, exalted, and philofophical appellations, to which we can attain, fall infinitely fhort of the truth, of reprefenting the Deity as he is, but are mere popu lar and anthropomorphitical expreffions. And the fame might still be faid for ever of higher and more pure expreffions, could we arrive at them: they would ever be infinitely deficient, and unworthy of GOD. But then it appears from the preceding propofitions, and other writings of a like nature, that, if we will confider the phænomena of the world, and argue from them fufficiently, we must needs fee and acknowledge, that there is an Infinite Being, and that power, knowledge, and goodnefs, are his character. We cannot get rid of this internal feeling and conviction, but by refufing to confider the fubject, and to purfue the train of reafoning, which our own faculties, or the preceding inquiries of others, will lead us to. GOD is not to be esteemed an unreal being, or deftitute of all character, because he is infinite and incomprehenfible, or because we have not adequate phrafes whereby to denote his exiftence and attributes. On the contrary, his infinite nature feems strongly to argue, that existence, power, knowledge, and goodnefs, do really and properly belong to him alone; and that what we call fo here on earth, in our firft and literal fenfes, are mere fhadows and figures of the true realities. And it would be in vain to bid us reject this language, fince it must recur again and again from the frame of our natures, if we purfue the fubject. In like manner, the relative moral attributes of holiness, justice, veracity, mercy, &c. and the relative moral appellations of governor, judge, and father, &c. are infeparably connected with the use of language, and the course and conftitution of the vifible world. We fee that things have happened, and muft believe, that they will hereafter happen, (i. e. in the general, and allowing for

particular exceptions, as above remarked,) after fuch a manner as these attributes and appellations intimate to us they are, confequently, a convenient and highly useful method of ranging and explaining past events, and predicting future ones, and therefore may be used for this purpofe; nay, they must be fo used, fince the events of life thus ranged, explained, and predicted by them, do neceffarily fuggeft them to us, and imprefs upon us this their use, admitting only the real existence of GOD, and his infinite power, knowledge, and goodness; which, as was just now fhewn, cannot but be admitted, if men will think fufficiently on the fubject. However, fince the use of these relative moral attributes and appellations is popular, and attended with particular exceptions; whereas that of the attributes of infinite power, knowledge, and goodness, is more philofophical and extenfive, it will be proper to bear this in mind; and where there appears to be any oppofition between the popular and philofophical language, to interpret that in fubordination to this.

COROLLARY. The doctrine of providence, general and particular, may be confidered as a confequence from the foregoing attributes and appellations of the divine nature. By general providence, I mean the adjusting all events to the greatest good of the whole; by particular, the adjusting all to the greatest good of each individual; and, confequently, by both together, the adjusting the greatest good of the whole, and of each individual, to each other; fo that both shall fall exactly upon the fame point. However difficult this may feem, I take it to be the genuine confequence of the foregoing propofitions. Infinite power, knowledge, and goodness, must make our moft kind and merciful Father both able and willing to effect this: it does therefore actually take place, though we cannot fee it. However, that there are

many marks both of general and particular providence, as thus explained, is fufficiently evident, and acknowledged by all: both thefe appear alfo to be afferted in the fcriptures.

The following obfervation affords a ftrong evidence for a particular providence. When a perfon furveys the events of his past life, he may find many, which have happened much contrary to natural expectations, and his then defires, which yet appear extremely beneficial and defirable at the now prefent time, as alfo to have proceeded from natural causes then unknown to him. Now, we may conclude from hence, that GoD conceals the tendencies and refults of the course of nature at the then present time, left we should trust in that, and forfake him; but difcovers them afterwards with their harmonies and uses, that we may fee his goodness, knowledge, and power, in them, and fo trust him in future perplexities. It is analogous to this, that the fcripture prophecies are inexplicable before the event, and often fufficiently clear afterwards.

PROP. XII.

The Manner of Reasoning here used, in respect of the Courfe and Conftitution of Nature, has a Tendency to beget in us Love and Reverence towards GoD, and Obedience to his Will: or, in other Words, there is a Religion of Nature properly fo called.

NATURAL Religion appears to be used in dif ferent fenfes by different writers: however, they are all, I think, reducible to the three that follow, and will all be found to coincide ultimately, though they may appear different at firft view.