tained, declares them to have been revealed. the true ends; and are to be regarded as onduct. Whenever they are pursued by us, we will of God: whenever they are neglected, we

chings, which are revealed, are the rules of our faith cice, in order to the attainment of salvation; so they are y rules. The secret, and the revealed, things in the text de all things, which pertain to these subjects. But the text lares, that secret things belong to God, and therefore not to 8. Things revealed are, of course, the only things with which we have any concern; in order to become holy, or virtuous, here, and happy hereafter. There is no other character, no other pleasure, of God; there are no other objects of duty, rules of faith, or means of salvation; with which we have any concern. If we seek for others; if we busy ourselves with others; we shall not obey God, but disobey him. We shall not become more, but less wise, virtuous, useful, and happy.

This will be obviously true, if we consider,

3dly. The End, for which God has made this prescription known to mankind.

This is expressed in these words, " that we may do all the words of this law" as if Moses had said, God hath withheld all unrevealed things from us, and given to us all revealed things, for this great End; that we may obey his holy will, made known to us in the Scriptures.

The means or measures, which God is pleased to adopt for the accomplishment of his purposes, are always the wisest and best means; and such, as if heartily pursued by us, will prove to be in the most perfect manner efficacious. The means, which he has adopted in the present case, are to withhold some things, and to reveal others. The things withheld are all withheld of design, and in accordance with the dictates of Infinite wisdom and goodThe things revealed were, with the same design, and with Had the the same infinite wisdom and goodness, revealed. things withheld, or, as they are called in the text, secret, been revealed; or had the things actually revealed, or any of them, been not revealed, or revealed in any other manner; our situa

ness.

tion, so far as our faith, duty and salvation, are concerned, wou have been less advantageous, desirable, and happy. Had w been taught more, or less; or been taught in any other manner; we should not have obeyed more willingly, or perfectly; we should not have adopted a sounder creed, or a better life; we should not have obtained salvation with more ease, or in a greater number of instances; but should in all these respects have been more exposed to folly, to sin, and to ruin.

Every truth or doctrine, which we know, is attended or followed by many others, connected with it with more or less clearness, or obscurity. Each of these, so soon as known by us, is in the like manner attended or followed by many others. Thus the doctrines, connected in one manner or another with those, which we know, are multiplied, to a degree which cannot be measured, faster than those, which we have already known. Thus, when we have advanced in science, of any kind, a small distance only, other doctrines and inferences, connected with these, are discerned by us in such numbers, as bear scarcely any perceivable proportion to the few which we clearly understand. These often distract us by their multitude; perplex us by their obscurity; discourage us by the difficulty, which attends our investigation of them; and mislead us by the specious but unsound evidence, with which alone we are able to determine their reality, or their relations to the doctrines known. Active and ingenious minds are apt to be bewildered by the mass of confusion, thus presented to their inquiry; while those, who are possessed of less energy, desist from the investigation with listlessness and despair. These evils arrest every man busied in the pursuit of knowledge, when his capacity does not increase in proportion to the number of things, presented to him for investigation: and this, after a moderate progress, is never the case with the human mind. Our faculties, we know, never expand beyond a certain limit; differing somewhat in different men, and in the same man under different advantages; but still in all men there is a bound, which none. can pass. But the things to be known are literally without number, or degree; and the things, whose existence we are able to perceive, and whose nature, relations, and dependencies, we yet cannot understand, soon multiply, and extend, so as to bear no

in which they are contained, declares them to have been revealed. They are therefore the true ends; and are to be regarded as such in all our conduct. Whenever they are pursued by us, we conform to the will of God: whenever they are neglected, we disobey it.

As the things, which are revealed, are the rules of our faith and practice, in order to the attainment of salvation; so they are the only rules. The secret, and the revealed, things in the text include all things, which pertain to these subjects. But the text declares, that secret things belong to God, and therefore not to us. Things revealed are, of course, the only things with which we have any concern; in order to become holy, or virtuous, here, and happy hereafter. There is no other character, no other pleasure, of God; there are no other objects of duty, rules of faith, or means of salvation; with which we have any concern. If we seek for others; if we busy ourselves with others; we shall not obey God, but disobey him. We shall not become more, but less wise, virtuous, useful, and happy.

This will be obviously true, if we consider,

3dly. The End, for which God has made this prescription known to mankind.

This is expressed in these words, " that we may do all the words of this law" as if Moses had said, God hath withheld all unrevealed things from us, and given to us all revealed things, for this great End; that we may obey his holy will, made known to us in the Scriptures.

The means or measures, which God is pleased to adopt for the accomplishment of his purposes, are always the wisest and best means; and such, as if heartily pursued by us, will prove to be in the most perfect manner efficacious. The means, which he has adopted in the present case, are to withhold some things, and to reveal others. The things withheld are all withheld of design, and in accordance with the dictates of Infinite wisdom and goodThe things revealed were, with the same design, and with the same infinite wisdom and goodness, revealed. Had the things withheld, or, as they are called in the text, secret, been revealed; or had the things actually revealed, or any of them, been not revealed, or revealed in any other manner; our situa

ness.

tion, so far as our faith, duty and salvation, are concerned, would have been less advantageous, desirable, and happy. Had we been taught more, or less; or been taught in any other manner; we should not have obeyed more willingly, or perfectly; we should not have adopted a sounder creed, or a better life; we should not have obtained salvation with more ease, or in a greater number of instances; but should in all these respects have been more exposed to folly, to sin, and to ruin.

Every truth or doctrine, which we know, is attended or followed by many others, connected with it with more or less clearness, or obscurity. Each of these, so soon as known by us, is in the like manner attended or followed by many others. Thus the doctrines, connected in one manner or another with those, which we know, are multiplied, to a degree which cannot be measured, faster than those, which we have already known. Thus, when we have advanced in science, of any kind, a small distance only, other doctrines and inferences, connected with these, are discerned by us in such numbers, as bear scarcely any perceivable proportion to the few which we clearly understand. These often distract us by their multitude; perplex us by their obscurity; discourage us by the difliculty, which attends our investigation of them; and mislead us by the specious but unsound evidence, with which alone we are able to determine their reality, or their relations to the doctrines known. Active and ingenious minds are apt to be bewildered by the mass of confusion, thus presented to their inquiry; while those, who are possessed of less energy, desist from the investigation with listlessness and despair. These evils arrest every man busied in the pursuit of knowledge, when his capacity does not increase in proportion to the number of things, presented to him for investigation: and this, after a moderate progress, is never the case with the human mind. Our faculties, we know, never expand beyond a certain limit; differing somewhat in different men, and in the same man under different advantages; but still in all men there is a bound, which none. can pass. But the things to be known are literally without number, or degree; and the things, whose existence we are able to perceive, and whose nature, relations, and dependencies, we yet cannot understand, soon multiply, and extend, so as to bear no

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a to the extent of our capacity. Hence, all lence agree, with a single voice, in declaring, ncrease of human knowledge amounts to little Jow how few things can be known by us: a decirily arising from the disproportionate increase of known beyond that of our capacity to know them. these observations it is evident, that a Revelation, made ind, must, in order to be useful to them, be proportioned in amber and nature of the things, which it discloses, to the nan capacity. Were such a Revelation written for children nly, it must, if it were to be of any use to them, contain, generally, such things; so few, so obvious, and written in some such plain manner, as the songs, which Doct. Watts has, with singular wisdom and felicity, composed for persons of that age. As the real Revelation is designed for men, it must in a similar manner be suited to their capacity; and contain such things, and such only, as are fitted to employ and enlighten 'their understandings, influ ence their affections, and direct their conduct, in the happiest manner. It ought, also to communicate such things only, as will be useful to us; such as will promote our real interests; and not such as would awaken or gratify that idle and restless curiosity, which is ever wandering in search of pleasure. and ever uninterested in the attainment of real good. I cannot avoid remarking here, that the Scriptures, being designed for persons of all ages and capacities, are formed with such supreme wisdom, as in their different parts to be exactly suited to the circumstances of all; to enlighten every understanding; to move every heart; and to regulate every life, with the highest advantage.

In a Revelation there are many subjects, whose nature and extent must of necessity surpass the understanding, not only of man, but of every finite being. Such, for example, are the character and pleasure of God. As these are in their nature and extent infinite; they can evidently be comprehended only by the Infinite Mind. Yet of these subjects even we can know something; and that something we absolutely need to know. God has, accordingly, disclosed to us several things concerning them in the Scriptures. As these subjects are in their nature and connection necessarily mysterious; we find our examinations of them attend