iv. 17.

" In

of our Lord, our Lord himfelf, and alfo his apoftles, all opened their refpective commiffions with the doctrine of repentance for the remiflion of fins, Matt. iii. 1. "thofe days came John the Baptift, preach ing in the wildernefs of Judea, and faying, Repent ye for the kingdom of heaven "is at hand: and v. 8. " Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." Ch. "From that time Jefus began to preach, and to fay, Repent, for the king"dom of heaven is at hand." It is not poffible to give a more ftriking or more beautiful illuftration of the propitious nature of the divine being, than our Lord has done in the parable of the prodigal fon, in which we are informed, Luke xv. 17. that as foon as this profligate youth came to himself, and to a refolution to return to his father, and to fay, "Father, I have finned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more

66

66

worthy to be called thy fon; that, when "he was yet a great way off, his father faw

him, and had compaffion, and ran, and "fell on his neck, and kiffed him." The Lord's

R 3

us,

Lord's prayer, and the illustration of it by our Lord himself, Matt. vi. 14. affures that if we forgive men their trefpafies, our heavenly father will alfo forgive us. The fame do&rine is repeated and enforced by him in his parable of the king who took an account of his fervants, one of whom owed him ten thousand talents. Matt. xviii. 23.

The apoftle Peter, at the clofe of his firft fpeech, to a great multitude of Jews, who were affembled on the report of the first great miracle that was wrought after the afcenfion of our Lord, viz. the effufion of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecoft, fays, Acts ii. 38. Repent, and be baptized every 66 one of you, in the name of Jefus Chrift, "for the remiffion of fins." The fame apoftle, fpeaking of the divine being, fays, 2 Pet. iii. 9. "God is not willing that any "should perish, but that all fhould come "to repentance;" and to quote no more, the apostle John fays, 1 John i. 8. &c. "If

we fay that we have no fin, we deceive "ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If

"we confess our fins, he is faithful and juft "to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us "from all unrighteousness."

SECTION V.

Of the divine veracity.

HE laft of the moral attributes of the

THE

divine being, of which I fhall take particular notice, is his veracity, or regard to truth, and his fidelity with respect to his promises and engagements. Of this we can have no direct knowledge from the light of nature, though we infer from it that we should have reason to depend upon the truth of all the declarations of the divine being, if he should think proper to make any; but in the fcriptures we find both the most exprefs declarations concerning the veracity and faithfulness of God, and likewise a fufficient number of facts correfponding to thofe declarations.

R 4

In

"

the God of

Lord's prayer, and the illuftr lvi. 6. «"he our Lord himself, Matt. v and he himself

that if we forgive men

heavenly father will a

gone

y covenant will I ething that is fame doctrine is re and If. xlvi. II. "I him in his parable will alfo bring it to pafs; account of his fit, I will alfo do it.'

him ten thouf

The ap

fpeech,

were a

mire

fio

I

Heb. vi. 18. "It is imGod to lie.'

apt to facts, it is fufficient to

inftance is mentioned of the

kig having ever failed to fulfil any at he had made, refpecting either als, or nations of mankind; but a

riety of facts are recorded, in which formance exactly corresponds to the egment. Ifhall recite only one of them. Ar the children of Ifrael were fettled in the land of Canaan, it is faid, Josh. xxi. 43.

and the Lord gave unto Ifrael all the land which he fware to give unto their fathers and they poffeffed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them reft

"round

EVEALED RELIGION.

249

according to all that he hers and there flood

their enemies before delivered all their ene

ir hand. There failed not

y good thing which the Lord n unto the houfe of Ifrael: all

pafs."

n fuch ground as this (the Jewish and ariftian religions having been proved to be divine) we have fufficient reafon to depend upon the truth of thofe divine declarations, the time for the accomplishment of which is not yet come; efpecially with refpect to the grand catastrophe of the whole scheme, viz. that there will be a refurrection of all the dead, followed by an ample reward for the righteous, and an adequate punishment for the wicked.

CHAPTER