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CHAPTER I.

WHAT WE LEARN FROM THE SCRIPTURES CONCERNING GOD.

This first chapter I fhall fubdivide into two others, the first respecting the unity, as alfo the natural perfections, and providence of God, and the fecond his moral perfections.

SECTION I.

Of the unity, the natural perfections, and providence of God.

NE of the most important of all the

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truths concerning God, as that invifible being, who is the object of our fupreme reverence, and to whom we addrefs ourfelves in prayer, as our immediate inspector, and moral governor, is his unity. That there is but one God, we have feen to be a truth deducible from the obfervation of the works of nature; but it is not so easi

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ly and clearly deducible from thence, but that mankind have always been prone to fall into idolatry, or the worship of more gods than one; which feems to have arifen chiefly from the very low and imperfect ideas that men entertained of the knowledge and power of God.

Judging of all other intelligent beings by themselves, they had no conception of one fuperintending mind only being fufficient for all the purpofes for which the prefence and agency of the deity was supposed to be requifite; and therefore they imagined, that there must, of neceffity, be a multiplicity of beings of that character, each fuperintending his refpective province in nature. If they retained the idea of one fupreme God, which feems to have been the belief of all mankind in the earliest ages (handed down, I believe, by tradition from Noah and his immediate defcendants) they ftill did not think that this one fupreme being could govern the world, without the affiftance of other fubordinate beings, of an intermediate nature between himself and man. Thefe fubordi

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nate agents they would therefore confider as the beings with whom they had immediately to do, and whom their religious worship and homage would refpect; while the worship of the fupreme being would be in danger of being neglected.

This was the actual progrefs of things in the heathen world. Mankind began with the worship of one true God; but, having afterwards affociated with him various inferior beings, as objects of divine worship, they, in time, loft fight of the fupreme being altogether; fo that none of the objects of the popular worship among the Grecks or Romans were any thing more than either the fun, moon, and ftars, the fouls of dead men, or their images, fymbols, &c.

With thefe general ideas, which are the foundation of all idolatry, mankind would naturally, in the firft place, pitch upon the moft illuftrious objects in the creation, as inftruments in the hands of the fupreme being of communicating bleffings to them, or inflicting judgments upon them; and

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thefe they would confider as the moft proper to be placed in the order of gods. Accordingly we find, that the fun, moon, and ftars, were univerfally the firft objects of idolatrous worship, as thofe beings from which it was fuppofed that men had the most to hope or to fear. And being senfible that intelligence was neceffary to their office of fuperintending the affairs of men, they either imagined them to be animated by fome intelligent minds, or to be the habitations of fuch beings.

Imagining alfo that there must be fomething in man befides what is visible, they conceived that a fpirit, capable of being feparated from him, animated him also; and, fuppofing that the powers of this animating fpirit might even be enlarged after death, they made the moft illuftrious of their princes and heroes the objects of divine worship likewife. Afterwards, imagining that various parts both of the animate and inanimate creation bore a peculiar relation to thefe gods, with refpect to their names, forms, or qualities, they first entertained a respect

respect for them as the fymbols, or tokens of the prefence of their gods; and in time proceeded to conceive of them as being themfelves endowed with fupernatural powers. In this manner, probably, the ancient Egyptians came to rank a great number of both animals and vegetables, and alfo their images, &c. among their divinities.

By proceeding in this train, it came to pafs, as I have obferved already, that at length the one living and true God, the creator and governor of the world, was overlooked, and forgotten by mankind. The neceffary confequence of this was, that, befides entertaining very falfe, unworthy, and injurious ideas of God and his perfections, mankind were deftitute of that most excellent means of exalting their conceptions, and confequently of improving their natures, which is derived from the contemplation of, and a fenfe of their conftant intercourfe with, a being in whom all vencrable and amiable attributes unite. It is a fenfe of our immediate dependence upon, and conftant intercourfe with a being, omniprefent,

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