revelation, this is a fufficient reason why this light should be found either increasing or diminishing, as we either ap proached nearer to, or receded farther from the original feat of information. It is by no means difficult to trace the original of many of the religious rites in the heathen world to this fource. Though they come to us disfigured by many abfurdities, derived from the corrupt channel of tradition through which they flow, yet, feparating them from thefe, it is eafy to trace their original to a previous revelation. We may inftance the rite of facrificing, which, in one form or another, has almoft univerfally made a part of Pagan worfhip. This religious rite appears, at firft view, to have had no other origin than a pofitive inftitution of Deity. It could have no foundation, in either nature or reason, any farther than what arifes from the confideration that the will of God is the fupreme law. Although the Pagan nations were almoft univerfally ignorant of the true object, defign and intent of facrificing, yet, as the rite itfelf obtained generally, if not univerfally in the heathen world, it is at least, highly probable, that this practice never would have become fo prevalent, had it not been originally founded on a divine revelation. Even the most abfurd, cruel, and impious facrifices which were ever offered by the most barbarous nations, I mean the immolation of human victims, may be traced to the fame fource, viz. the corruption and abufe of a revelation, the most glorious and most important which was ever communicated to fallen guilty men; that of the Mefiah, God in our nature, who was to be cut off but not for himfelf. This event was typified by Abraham's intentional offering up his fon Ifaac, (a tranfaction probably extenfively known,) and pointed out in all that variety of facrifices, which were offered under the Mofaic economy. Exclufive of fuch rays of light. as were most probably derived from revelation, the refi due of Paganifm ought rather to be termed the darkness than the light of nature. But if even the faint difcoveries of heathenifm cannot be proved to flow exclusively from nature's unaffifted light, much lefs are we to confider the fyftems of modern infidels, or the fine spun theories of moral writers on what C they are pleafed to call the religion of nature, to be merely natural discoveries, the legitimate fruits of the researches of human wisdom independent of revelation. On the other hand, we have, I think, evidence amounting to more than a fimple probability, that there is nothing confiftent with truth in the moral fystems of either the one or the other, but what is derived, either directly or indirectly from revelation, If our modern theorifs had derived no greater advantages from revelation than the fages of ancient Greece and Rome, it is not at all probable that they would have entertained any more confiftent ideas of the Supreme Being, and of the worship and honour which is his due, than others who paid their adoration to stocks and ftones, the work of men's hands, or offered facrifices and burnt incenfe to the Sun, Moon, or Stars, or all, or any of the host of heaven. They might, like the ancient and enlightened Romans, have fhewed in the capitol the picture, or statue of the Wolf who fuckled their Supremé Deity, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, in his infancy, or like the enlightened Egyptians, they might have worshipped a. Serpent, an Ox, a Crocodile, or fome other poisonous reptile or ftupid beaft. The truth of the matter appears to be this, that, however men may fometimes reafon themfelves into the belief that the whole of their theories have been discovered, or are at least discoverable by the light of nature, yet, had it not been for what they have furreptitiously borrowed from revelation, the light which is in them would have been nothing but darkness, and but little would have remained of their prefent fine spun theories excepting the abfurdity. But should we make the most liberal allowance poffible to the powers of nature, and ascribe nearly all the latitude claimed, to the difcoveries of human wisdom, there are fill many truths of the utmost importance to mankind, truths, without the knowledge of which, all the light in the world would be but of little confequence to mankind as a creature formed for an immortal existence, of which the light of nature either gives no intimation, or one fo faint as to have little or no influence on human hopes, or human conduct, but of which we have a fatisfactory dif covery in revelation. Among thefe we may notice the following: 1. The unity of the Supreme Being, or the fimple propofition that there is but one God. No propofition which has any connexion with religion, can be of greater importance, if it may be deemed equally effential with this. When once is is difcovered and prefented to the mind no propofition appears more rational, or more agreeable to the common fense of mankind than this,--that there is one Supreme, Eternal, Almighty, Omniscient and Unchangeable God, who is the Creator and Governor of the world. But, whatever may be faid of a few folitary individuals, I believe it will hardly be pretended that this truth, which to be a natural notion ought to be obvious to the reafon and common fenfe ofall, has ever appeared fo clear as to become an article of belief in the national religion of any one nation whatfoever, whether ancient or modern, who did not derive it from revelation. That there are fome fuperior invifible powers, who have a certain fuperinten. dency over the affairs of mankind, and to whom fome kind of homage is due, is a point which has obtained the general, although I am apprehenfive not the univerfal confent of nations. If we may credit the apparently well authenticated accounts of travellers and discoverers, there are fome nations fo far funk in ignorance and barbarifm, as to retain little or no fenfe or impreffion of any fuperior powers whatsoever. Whether this general confent of nations be derived from the light of nature or tradition may admit of a difpute It is however certain that there has never been generally prevalent belief of the doctrine of the unity of the Supreme Being, or that there is but one God, in any one nation whatfoever, who had not the opportunity of deriving it from revelation. The multitude of fuppofed Deities, has not been barely equal to the number of nations. It has extended much farther. Not only every nation, but every city or village, often times every family, and even the several individuals, in the family, have had each their tutelar Deity to whom they paid fome kind of homage. Nay, it was far from uncommon, for the fame individual to pay his adoration to feveral Gods. Had there been any principle in nature, independent of revelation, adequate to fuch a discovery as that there is but one God, is it probable that mankind would have almost univerfally mistaken it, and adopted the abfurd fyftem of a plurality, and almost an infinity of Gods? Or is it probable that the Jews, a nation no way eminent for their knowledge of the arts and fciences or the fublime discoveries of Philofophy, fhould be the only people upon earth who had any confiftent ideas on a fubject fo neceffary, and even fundamental to all true religion, and fo congenial to the reafon and common fenfe of mankind when once it is known, while it efcaped the obfervation, and baffled the refearches of the most enlightened nations and fages of antiquity? But fo far was this article of the Jewish religion from being the natural discovery of that nation, and so little was it agreeable to their innate conceptions on the fubject, that the feverell fanctions of their law, and the many fore national chaftifements with which they were, from time to time, vifited, were scarcely fufficient to deter them from participating in the idolatry and Polytheifin of the nations by which they were furrounded. Is it not therefore, very probable at least, if not abfolutely certain, that Socrates, and perhaps others, whofe ideas on the fubject were raifed fomewhat above the common level, borFowed them, either immediately from the writings of the old Teftament, or mediately from fuch rays cf light as were derived from that furce by tradition? But certainly the unity of the Supreme Being, or that there is but God, is a truth the knowledge of which is of the utmost importance to mankind. And if the light of nature gives to man no adequate information on this head, the plain and obvious inference is a direct confirmation of the truth of the propofition in our text, that the world by wifdom knew not God. 2. Human wisdom is equally inadequate to the afertaining of the character of the Supreme Being, as it is to the difcovery of the unity of his effence. After a belief in the existence of one God the next thing in importance to be known, is to be able to answer the enquiry. What fort of a Being God is? What are the attributes, what are the perfections of that Being who is the object of worthip? But if we fearch through out the whole tribe of heathen Deities, and examine all the imaginary perfections which have been attributed to them by their votaries, we will not find a fingle perfection anfwerable to the character of the true God. The Jehovah of the Bible hath proclaimed himfelf to be, The Lord, merciful and gracious, flow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth. He is Holy, Juf and Good. He is Almighty, Eternal, Unchangeable, every where prefent, Sc. But what refemblance can we find to any one attribute or perfection of the Jehovah of the Bible among the whole host of heathen Deities? God is a Being of infinite holiness, of fpotlefs purity. Even angels vail their faces before him, and cry out holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. But instead of immaculate purity, we find a tribe of Deities clothed in all the vices of mortal men; infamous for their cruelty, envy, rage and luft. Even the Jupiter Optimus Maximus of the Romans, was little better than a common debauchee, conftantly engaged in criminal amours, which involved him in frequent bickerings, with his fuppofed wife Juno. We find the Gods themselves, alfo, frequently occupied with their own petty feuds, in a manner which would be highly disrespectable to men making any pretentions to reputation or character. In their interference with the affairs of men we find them fplit into parties, and taking fides juft as whim or caprice directed. We find them oftentimes exciting thofe they chofe to favour, to acts of treachery, cruelty and revenge, countenanciug and affifting their votaries, not for their virtues, but many times, for their vices. Inftead of one Almighty Being, able to direct and controul the affairs of the Universe, we find a multitude of Deities, which, fo far from acting in concert, are conftantly thwarted in their schemes and defigns by one another, and, of tentimes, by mortal men. Inftead of one God who is every where prefent, we find an innumerable multitude of local Deities, confined to particular nations; oftentimes to particular districts, cities, towns or villages, and fometimes even to particular families or individuals. C 2 Instead |