and restricted only by the capacity of the recipient, which he appoints as a limit and measure to the goodness of his nature and to the communication of himself. He is the Greatest Being and the only Great One; for he is able to subdue to his sway even nothing itself, that it may become capable of divine good by the communication of himself. He calleth those THINGS WHICH BE NOT, as though they were,' (Rom. iv, 17.) and in that manner, by his word, he places 'them in the number of beings, although it is out of darkness that they have received his commands to emerge and to come into existence. ALL NATIONS before him are AS NOTHING, the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers, and the princes NOTHING.' (Isa. xl, 17, 22, 23.) The whole of this system of heaven and earth appears scarcely equal to a point "before him, whose centre is every where, but whose circumference is in no place."-He is immutable, always the same, and endureth for ever; his years have no end.' (Psalm cii.) Nothing can be added to him and nothing can be taken from him; with him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James i, 17.) Whatsoever obtains stability for a single moment, borrows it from him, and receives it precariously and at his pleasure. Pleasant therefore and most delightful is it to contemplate him, on account of his goodness; it is glorious in consideration of his greatness; and it is sure, in reference to his immutability.

2. He is most resplendent and bright; he is light itself; and becomes an object of most obvious perception to the mind, according to this expression of the Apostle, that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being; for we are also his offspring: (Acts xvii, 27, 28.) And according to another passage, God left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.' (Acts xiv, 17.) Being supported by these true sayings, I venture to assert, that nothing can be seen or truly known in any object, except in it we have previously seen and known God himself.

In the first place, he is called " Being itself," because he offers himself to the understanding as an object of knowledge. But all beings, both visible and invisible, corporeal and incorporeal, proclaim aloud, that they have derived the beginning of their essence and condition from some other than themselves, and that they have not their own proper existence till they

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have it from another. All of them utter speech, according to the saying of the Royal Prophet: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handy-work.' (Psalm xix, 1.) That is, the firmament sounds aloud as with a trumpet, and proclaims, that it is the work of the right hand of the Most High. Among created objects you may discover many tokens indicating, "that they derive from some other source whatever they themselves possess," more strongly than that they have an existence in the number and scale of beings." Nor is this matter of wonder, since they are always nearer to nothing, than to their Creator, from whom they are removed to a distance that is infinite, and separated by infinite space: While, by properties that are only finite, they are distinguished from nothing, the primeval womb from whence they sprung, and into which they may fall back again; but they can never be raised to a Divine equality with God their Maker. Therefore it was rightly spoken by the ancient Heathens,

"Of Jove all things are full."

3. He alone can completely fill the mind, and satisfy its (otherwise) insatiable desires. For he is infinite in his essence, -his wisdom, power, and goodness. He is the first and chief verity, and truth itself in the abstract. But the human mind is finite in nature,-the substance of which it is formed; and only in this view is it a partaker of infinity-because it apprehends Infinite Being and the Chief Truth, although it is incapable of comprehending them. David therefore, in an exclamation of joyful self-gratulation, openly confesses, that he was content with the possession of God alone, who by means of knowledge and love is possessed by his creatures. These are his words :- Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.' (Psalm lxxiii, 25.)

If thou be acquainted with all other things, and yet remain in a state of ignorance with regard to him alone, thou art always wandering beyond the proper point, and thy restless love of knowledge increases in the proportion in which knowledge itself is increased. The man who knows only God, and who is ignorant of all things else, remains in peace and tranquillity, and (like one that has found a pearl of great price, although in the purchase of it he may have expended the whole of his substance,) he is in earnest while he congratulates himself on the prize he has thus gained.—This lustre or

brightness of the object is the cause why an investigation into it, or an inquiry after it, is never instituted without obtaining it; and (such is its fulness!) when it has once been found, the discovery of it is always attended with abundant profit.

But we must consider this object more strictly; for we treat of it in reference to its being the object of our Theology, according to which we have a knowledge of God in this life. We must therefore clothe it in a certain mode and invest it in a formal manner, as the logical phrase is; and thus place it as a foundation to our knowledge.

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THREE CONSIDERATIONS of this matter offer themselves to our notice: The FIRST is, that we cannot receive this object in the infinity of its nature; our necessity therefore requires it to be proposed in a manner that is accommodated to our capacity. The SECOND is, that it is not proper, in the first moment of revelation, for such a large measure to be disclosed and manifested by the light of grace, as may be received into the human mind when it is illuminated by the light of glory, and (by that process,) enlarged to a greater capacity: for by a right use of the knowledge of grace, we must proceed upwards (by the rule of divine righteousness,) to the more sublime knowledge of glory, according to that saying, ' To him that hath shall be given.'-The THIRD is, that this object is not laid before our Theology merely to be known, but, when known, to be worshipped. For the THEOLOGY which belongs to this world, is PRACTICAL and through faith: THEORETICAL THEOLOGY belongs to the other world, and consists of pure and unclouded vision, according to the expression of the Apostle, We walk by faith, and not by sight; (2 Cor. v, 7.) and that of another Apostle, Then shall we be like him, for we shall see him as he is.' (1 John iii, 2.) For this reason we must clothe the object of our Theology in such a manner as may enable it to incline us to worship God, and fully to persuade and win us over to that practice.

This last design is the line and rule of the formal relation according to which God becomes the subject of our Theology.

But that man may be induced, by a willing obedience and a humble submission of the mind, to worship God, it is necessary for him to believe, from a certain persuasion of the heart:(1) That it is the will of God to be worshipped, and that worship is due to him.-(2) That the worship of him will not be in vain, but will be recompensed with an exceedingly great reward.-(3) That a mode of worship must be instituted

according to his command.-To these three particulars ouglit to be added, a knowledge of the mode prescribed.

Our Theology, then, delivers three things concerning this object, as necessary and sufficient to be known in relation to the preceding subjects of belief.-The FIRST is concerning the nature of God.-The SECOND concerning his actions.-And the THIRD concerning his will.

(1) Concerning his nature; that it is worthy to receive adoration, on account of its justice; that it is qualified to form a right judgment of that worship, on account of its wisdom; and that it is prompt and able to bestow rewards, on account of its goodness and the perfection of its own blessedness.

(2) Two actions have been ascribed to God for the same purpose; they are CREATION and PROVIDENCE. (i.) The Creation of all things, and especially of man after God's own image; upon which is founded his sovereign authority over man, and from which is deduced the right of requiring worship from man and enjoining obedience upon him, according to that very just complaint of God by Malachi, If then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? (i, 6.)-(ii.) That Providence is to be ascribed to God by which he governs all things, and according to which he exercises a holy, just, and wise care and oversight over man himself and those things which relate to him, but chiefly over the worship and obedience which he is bound to render to his God.

(3) Lastly, it treats of the will of God expressed in a certain covenant into which he has entered with man, and which consists of two parts: (i.) The one, by which he declares it to be his pleasure to receive adoration from man, and at the same time prescribes the mode of performing that worship; for it is his will to be worshipped from obedience, and not at the option or discretion of man.-(ii.) The other, by which God promises that he will abundantly compensate man for the worship which he performs; requiring not only adoration for the benefits already conferred upon man, as a trial of his gratitude; but likewise that HE may commumicate to man infinitely greater things to the consummation of his felicity. For as he occupied the first place in conferring blessings and doing good, because that high station was his due, since man was about to be called into existence among the number of creatures; so likewise it is his desire that the last place in doing good be reserved for him, according to the infinite perfection of his goodness and blessed

ness, who is the Fountain of good and the extreme boundary of happiness, the Creator and at the same time the Glorifier of his worshippers. It is according to this last action of his, that he is called by some persons "the Object of Theology," and that not improperly, because in this last act are included all the preceding.

In the way which has been thus compendiously pointed out, the infinite disputes of the schoolmen, concerning the formal relation by which God is the OBJECT OF THEOLOGY, may, in my opinion, be adjusted and decided. But as I think it a culpable deed to abuse your patience, I shall decline to say any more on this part of the subject.

Our sacred Theology therefore is chiefly occupied in ascribing to the One True God, to whom alone they really belong, those attributes of which we have already spoken,-his nature, actions, and will.-For it is not sufficient to know, that there is some kind of a NATURE, simple, infinite, wise, good, just, omnipotent, happy in itself, the Maker and Governor of all things, that is worthy to receive adoration, whose will it is to be worshipped, and that is able to make its worshippers happy. To this general kind of knowledge there ought to be added, a sure and settled conception, fixed on that Deity, and strictly bound to the single object of religious worship* to which alone those qualities appertain. The necessity of entertaining fixed and determinate ideas on this subject, is very frequently inculcated in the sacred page: I am the Lord thy God.' (Exod. xx, 2.) I am the Lord and there is none else.' (Isa. xlv, 5.) Elijah also says, 'If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. (1 Kings xviii, 21.) This duty is the more sedulously inculcated in scripture, on account of the powerful inclination or propensity in man to depart from the true object of religious worship, rather than from a correct notion of Deity. For whatever clear and proper conception of the Divine Being the minds of the Heathens had formed, the first stumblingblock over which they fell appears to have been this,-they did not attribute that just conception to him to whom it ought to have been given; but they ascribed it either (1) to some vague and uncertain individual. This may be seen by an expression, employed by one of the personages introduced by a Roman poet: "O Jupiter, whether thou be heaven, or air, or earth!" Or (2) they ascribed it to some imaginary and fabulous Deity, whether it be among created things, or a I passed by and beheld the objects of your devotions.'-Acts xvii, 22.See also 2 Thess, i, 4.