Reason for his Beneficence or the Com SERM. V. munication of Good to us, when there lyes

no Reafon against it. The only Reasons,

that could lye against it, were either that we are Subjects intirely indifpofed for, and incapable of, Happiness, through our evil and inveterate Habits-or that it is not con fiftent with God's Wifdom, Juftice, and his Regard for the Whole, to admit us to a State of an exceeding and everlasting Weight of Glory. The firft Impediment we ourselves, by the Grace of God, must remove, by correcting each habitually bad Difpofition, and Bent of Inclination. The fecond our bleffed Saviour removed, by the Sacrifice of himself, made it confiftent with the Good of the Whole, to bestow Happiness upon us, and gave the divine Benevolence full Scope to exert itself. :

Though nothing that another Person does, can make us more perfonally valuable, yet the common Course of Things every Day proves, that, what another Perfon does, may avert Mifery from us, or procure Happiness to us. If there is any Thing wrong in fuch a Procedure, then the whole Course of Nature is manifeftly fo: It being neceffary in the ordinary Course

of

SERM. V. of Nature, which is no less God's Appoint ment than his fupernatural and extrarodinary Difpenfations; that one Man should be rescued from Ruin, or advanced to Happiness, by the Interpofition of another *

And the Arguments, which are brought to difprove the Grace of our Lord Jefus Christ, conclude with equal Strength (that is, with no Strength at all) against the Charity of our fellow Creatures. The Laws of Nature, as well as the Oeconomy of our Redemption, point out to us, that, though no Man can with Juftice be esteemed for what another Agent does; yet One may be made more happy, or lefs miferable, by the Means of Another.

The Author of the Book of Job seems to have had no Notion of founding the Favour of God to us, merely upon his Approbation of us, when he fays, God chargeth his Angels with Folly: The Stars are not pure in his Sight: How much lefs Man that is a Worm, and the Son of Man that is a Worm?

Created Beings, that are perfect in their Kind God must abfolutely approve; Beings,

* See Bishop Butler's Analogy. Page 211.

that

that are absolutely bad, he must abfolutely SERM. V. disapprove. But between Perfection, and abfolute Depravity, there are so many intermediate Degrees of Goodness, and it's opposite Quality; of Amiableness and Unamiableness; and thefe often fo complicated and blended together in the fame Subject; that no one can be affured, how the Scale would preponderate, or where the Over-balance would be, in the Judgment of that Being, who fees not as Man fees. Nay, the more amiable any Man was in the Sight of God, the more liable he would be, upon this Scheme, to Despondency, not to fay, Defpair. For certainly, if any Thing can make fuch Beings as we are, amiable in the Sight of God; it muft be a modeft Opinion of ourselves, and a juft Senfe of our own Unworthinefs. But the more modeft Opinion a Man entere tains of himself, the more diffident he will be of his own Righteousness, and the Divine Approbation.

So true it is, that whoever has deviated from Scripture, has left us, at the Foot of the Account, in a worfe State than he found us.

For

SERM. V. For what is this intrinfic Valuableness, on which fome lay fo great Strefs? Are we not like thofe Things, which, to be greatly admired, must not be thoroughly underftood? It is Ignorance, which is the Mother of Admiration of our fellow Creatures: True Knowledge is the Mother of found and fubftantial Devotion. For the more we know of Men, the lefs we fhall be apt to admire them: But our Admiration of God rifes higher, in Proportion to the Knowledge we have gained of his Nature and Works: And our Devotion to him, who only is wonderful, and only doeth wondrous Things, must be heightened in the fame Measure, as our Admiration is; unless our Reason was given us, as one expreffeth it,

to wonder at our Maker, but not to serve " him." There are few, but who would rather depart out of the World, than have their foolish, vain, and wicked Thoughts, and whatever was tranfacted behind the Scene, within our own Breafts, difclofed, without Referve to the View of the whole World. Nature is very often rebelling against Principle, and sometimes getting the better of it. The Paffions hafty and impetuous, unless we have an habitual Guard

upon

upon ourfelvés, hurry us into Action, and SE RM. V• plunge us into Folly; before Reason, a flow fedentary Principle, puts in it's Remonftran

ces.

And what is the Confequence? That very Reason, which either continued in a State of Inaction, or poorly and abjectly complied with their Demands, acts the Part of an after-wife Friend, who, though he does not restrain us from doing wrong, yet, as foon as the Action is done, upbraids us with pungent Reflexions, and tells us (fad Truth!) that we are Fools.

When we confider the Number, Malignity, and particular Aggravations of our Sins, a modeft ingenuous Man will be fenfible he wants a Redeemer; and the PreSumptuous betrays his Want of one, even by his being fo. We have Vanities enow, and too many; but let us not add to the Catalogue of them this one Vanity, more grofs and flagrant than all the Reft, viz. to imagine, that our finite imperfect Services can, of themselves, infure to us, what is of infinite Value, perfect, endless, and unalterable Happiness.

He, who thinks he has Worth enough to fecure a Title to abfolute Pardon and a Fulness of Bliss, proves by the very Thought

VOL. II.

B b

that