A minifter can have no hope of fuccefs till he has made fiuners fenfible of their fate. The whole have no need of a phyfician, but they that are fick. Jefus Chrift came not to call the righteous, but finners to repentance. Let him tell them of their danger, that upon their prefent conduct depends their everlasting condition, that if they die in fin they will be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing their teeth, in unquenchable fire; that they have no fecurity against the arreft of death; that hell may now be moved from beneath to meet them at their coming; let him, I fay, found thefe awful truths in their ears with the energy of a man alarmed at their dreadful condition, and fome, at leaft, will begin to fee their danger, flee from the wrath to come, and enquire what they muft do to be faved.* Then is the time to unfold the love of God to them. It will infpire them with hope and devotion. In anfwer to prayer they will obtain pardoning mercy; a confcioufnefs of that mercy will fill them with love, and then every paffion, appetite,

and

"held from the mire. And as little complacency would a bru"tifh foul find in thofe pure and refined pleafures, which can "only upbraid, not fatisfy him." Caufes of the decay of

Chriftian pieiy, chap. i.

"God lays hold on that powerful principle of felf-prefer"vation within us to oblige us by any means, to be good, wife, "and happy; and if the love of goodnefs, wifdom, and hap"pinefs cannot prevail, (as they cannot poffibly in the nature of "things at firft, over habitual finners) to drive us into that good ❝he intends for us, and compel us to come in, through fear of "the dread punishments of the contrary practices. Therefore "he has, in his great wifdom and goodnefs pofitively acquainted 66 us with thofe endlefs unendurable torments to rouze us out of "that defperate inconfideration and lethargy, infatuation, and "infenfibility, which are incident to an habit of finning. That "fince the impenitent finner muft one day fuffer them in reality,he "might every day think of, and fuffer them in his thoughts, till "the pain thereof changes the courfe of his life; and then in a "few days, he will furely turn and repent, and precipitate him"felf into virtue and happiness, taking fanctuary in the fear of "God, in order to rejoice in the arms of his favour." Cure of Deifm, vol. i. p. 319, 320. 3d edit.

and power of their minds will unite to impel them forward in the paths of piety and virtue.

I will now enquire whether the Scriptures favour the idea that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of religion. Jefus Chrift addreffed the fears of daring finners: "Ye ferpents, ye generation of vipers, "how can ye efcape the damnation of hell?" Paul alarmed the fears of Felix. While he reafoned on

66

righteoufnefs, temperance, and judgment to come, "Felix trembled;" and though the Apoftle did not fucceed in his defign, yet no one will question the propriety of the method which he adopted in order to attain it. The three thousand that were converted on the day of Pentecoft, were moved with fear: "They were pricked in their hearts, and faid, Men "and brethren, what fhall we do?" The Philippian jailor came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas, and faid, Sirs, what muft I do to "be faved?" Examples might be multiplied, but it is unneceffary. It is evident that religion generally begins with fear. And should a minifter neglect to addrefs this paffion, by leaving out the terror of the Lord, he may preach the love of God, the joys of heaven, moral virtue, or what he pleafes, till his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth, with out converting one finner from the error of his ways.

SECTION

SECTION V.

On the KNOWLEDGE of GOD.

ON the fuppofition that fome will be wretched for

ever, Mr. Weaver remarks, "Jefus Chrift could not

intend to fave fuch when he made them, because "at that very time he knew they would not be "faved. Now if he knew before he made them "that they would not be faved, did he not make "fuch for mifery? If fo, is he not the author of " evil? And let fuch as maintain eternal mifery get "clear of it if they can."*

This reafoning will equally apply againft limited punishment. "Jefus Chrift could not intend to prevent fuch from being punished for a feason when he made them, because at that very time he knew they would be punished for a feason. Now if he knew before he made them that they would be thus punished, did he not make fuch for mifery? If fo, is he not the author of evil? And let fuch as maintain limited mifery get clear of it if they can."

It is fuitable to our nature and the relations which fubfift betwixt God and us, that he fhould exhort us to repentance, and promife us falvation on the terms of the gospel. And when he does this, to call in queftion the fincerity of his intention, and to charge him with being the author of fin, because he knew beforehand that fome would not repent and receive

*Free Thoughts, Preface, p, 23. 2d edit.

the

the gofpel, is not fo much to difprove endless punishment, as to deny moral liberty to man, and to lead us to atheism, by reprefenting the ftate of the moral world as inconfiftent with the Divine Perfections. Dr. Clarke has well obferved, "Whatever is in it

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felf, and in the nature of things, reafonable to be done, 'tis fit fhould actually be done: and it is never the more nor the lefs reasonable, for things being known or not known beforehand. The "reafon of God's fending exhortations to wicked 66 men, is not that he himself is ignorant what σε they will do, but that upon their own account 'tis reasonable they fhould be fo exhorted: and if the thing he reasonable in itself, it cannot ceafe to be fo, upon the account of fore"knowledge."*

It is allowed Jefus Chrift knew that fome would be miferable. Mr. W. infers from this, that he made them for mifery; and from this inference he concludes again, that Jefus Chrift is the author of evil. Mr. W.'s way of drawing inferences goes to prove, as fully upon his own fyftem as upon ours, that man is a neceffary agent, and that God is the author of all his actions, both good and bad. Thus, God knew man would fin: God, therefore, made man for fin : God, therefore, is the author of fin. But things may be foreknown without being predeftinated. I foreknow that the fun will rife in the morning, and that both the fun and moon will be eclipfed a certain number of times the enfuing year; but I am not vain enough to think, that my knowledge is, in any fenfe, the cause of thefe events taking place. +

*Clarke's Sermons, Vol. i. p. 166, 167.

There

+"God forefees, or rather fees the actions of free agents, "because they will be, not that they will be, because he fore"fees them. If I fee an object in a certain place, the veracity "of my fenfes fuppofed, it is certain that object is there: but "yet it cannot be faid, it is there because I see it there, or that

The following argument, in reference to one of Mr. Benfon's fermons on the day of judgment, is borrowed by Mr. Weaver from Petitpierre on Divine Goodnefs. "Can we deny that the divine mind was "perfectly acquainted with the ufe they would make of exiftence? and is it not true, that existence beftowed upon fuch terms, must be to the creature 6.6 an infinite evil; and that the irrefiftible fiat which flung them into being, was the greatest evil that could poffibly befal them; and this at a time when they could have no demerit, but were perfectly ❝ innocent? But I leave thefe infurmountable diffi❝culties to Mr. Benfon to determine, how an irre" fiftible act, which produces infinite evil to innocent beings, is to be qualified."

Whatever ftrength there is in this argument will return with equal force against the doctrine of limited mifery. "Can we deny that the Divine mind was perfectly acquainted with the ufe they would make of exiftence? And is it not true that exiflence beftowed upon fuch terms must be the greateft evil that could poffibly befal. them ; and this at a time when they could have no demerit but were perfectly innocent? But I leave thefe infurmountable difficulties with Mr. W. Perhaps he is able to determine, how an irrefiftible act, which brings upon innocent beings the greateft

my feeing it there, is the cause of its being there; but because "it is there, therefore I fee it there. It is the object that deter"mines my fenfation: and fo in the other cafe, it is a future "choice of a free agent, that determines the prefcience, which "yet may be infallibly true." Religion of Nature delineated, p. 102.

*Free Thoughts, p. 18.

At first fight, fome may think thefe expreffions too ftrong, but it must be recollected that the Univerfalifts contend it would be inconfiftent with the Divine Perfections, for God to punish finners for ever. And fince God cannot poffibly act inconfiftently with his perfections, limited mifery muft be, according to the Universalists, the greatest evil that can poffibly befal a

creature.