the nearest relation, who sits supreme at the head of the universe, and pervades all nature by his presence and power.

The idea of the Supreme Being has this peculiar property; that, as it admits of no substitute, so, from the first moment it is formed, it is capable of continual growth and enlargement, God himself is immutable, but our conception of his character is continually receiving fresh accessions, is continually becoming more extended and glorious, by having transferred to it new elements of sublimity and goodness, by attracting to itself, as a centre, whatever bears the impress of beauty, order, dignity, and happiness. It unites the splendor of every species of excellence; of all that is fair, great, and good in the universe. The idea of a Supreme Being, and of a superintending Providence, invests the universe with all that is finished and consummate in sublimity and excellence. The admiration of perfect wisdom and goodness for which we are formed, and which kindles such glowing rapture in the soul, finds in this idea a source of full and exhaustless satisfaction. Thus contemplated, the world presents a fair spectacle of order, beauty, and harmony, of a vast family nourished and watched over by an Almighty Father.

When we reflect, therefore, on the manner in which the idea. of Deity is formed, and on the sublime interest which a belief in the Deity, the first fair, the first sublime, the first good, imparts to the universe, we must be convinced, that such an idea and such a belief, intimately present to the mind, must have a most powerful effect in imbuing the mind with right moral tastes, affections, and habits, the elements of moral character, and the springs of moral action. The efficacy of these views in producing and augmenting virtuous tastes and habits, will, indeed, be proportioned to the vividness with which they are formed, and the frequency with which they recur; yet some benefit will not fail to result from them even in their lowest degree. And as the object of religious worship will always be, in some measure, the object of imitation, hence arises a fixed standard of moral excellence; by the contemplation of which, the tendencies of man to wickedness are counteracted, the contagion of evil example is checked, and human nature rises above

its natural level. Our conception of the Deity, then, composed as it is of the richest moral elements, embraces, under the character of a Beneficent Parent and Almighty Ruler, whatever is venerable in wisdom, whatever is awful in authority, whatever is touching in goodness; and a belief in this Supreme Being, and in his superintending Providence, has always been accompanied by a salutary moral influence on mankind.*

The argument, which has been advanced respecting the great and special moral influence arising from a belief in a God and his superintending Providence, may be confirmed by an appeal to the recorded convictions of mankind, as seen in the writings of all times and every country. And this is a position of so much importance, that it may be well to set it in a perfectly clear light, by subjoining a few illustrations of this kind.

Mr. Addison, in the person of Cato, has well declared the natural and settled convictions of mankind at all times.

"If there's a power above us,

And that there is, all nature cries aloud

Through all her works, he must delight in virtue;
And that which he delights in must be happy;

that is, must lead men to happiness.† An oath for confirmation, an end of all strife, is coeval with any considerable advancement in civilization among all nations, and is a public recognition of the moral influence of a belief in a Divinity, equally familiar and venerable. The moral influence of a belief in a Divinity, shows, moreover, the indissoluble connexion which subsists between religion and morals, as also between religious sentiment and moral character and conduct. "Let no one," says Plato, "utter falsehood, or deceive, or commit any impure act with an invocation of the gods, unless he wishes to render himself hateful to the Divinity."§ The prayer of Cyrus when death was approaching, is instructive in the same point of view.||

The works of Cicero are everywhere rich in instruction to the same effect." However much," says he, "we may be disposed. to exalt our advantages, it is nevertheless certain, that we have been surpassed in population by the Spaniards, in physical force * Robert Hall's Works, Vol. I. p. 30. Tragedy of Cato, V. 1. Heb. vi. 16. § Quoted by Rosenmüller, in Exod. xx. 7. Xenophon, Cyri Disciplina, Lib. VIII. c. 7.

by the Gauls, in shrewdness and cunning by Carthage, in the fine arts by Greece, and in mere native talent by some of our Italian fellow-countrymen ; but, in the single point of attention to religion, we have exceeded other nations, and it is by the favorable influence of this circumstance upon the character of the people, that I account for our success in acquiring the political and military ascendency that we now enjoy throughout the world." * All who are familiar with the Greek tragedies know how many illustrations might be drawn from thence. I content myself with a single specimen from Sophocles' Edipus Tyrannus. The Chorus sings thus ;-line 863, &c.

Again,

"Grant me, henceforth, ye powers divine,

In virtue's purest paths to tread ;
In every word, in every deed,
May sanctity of manners ever shine,
Obedient to the laws of Jove,
The laws descended from above."

"Perish the impious and profane,

Who, void of reverential fear,
Nor justice nor the laws revere ;

Who leave their God, for pleasure or for gain;

Who swell by fraud their ill-got store;

Who rob the wretched and the poor."

But the most instructive passage to be found in all heathen antiquity, illustrative of the moral effect of a belief in "a power above us," is in Claudian, and must be familiar to every classical scholar. Such is a specimen of the recorded convictions of heathen writers on this subject; and it shows, among other things, how much superior, in its moral tendency, heathenism is to the atheism, or even to the skepticism of our days.

I scarcely know whether it may be advisable to add any thing to the preceding from Christian times and Christian authors; but, at the risk of doing what is superfluous, I will subjoin some few confirmations of this kind. To collect, however, the sentiments of individuals would be an endless task, and, after all, might not be satisfactory. It may be more useful to resort for testi

* Quoted by A. H. Everett, in the Senate of Massachusetts, 1831.

† In Rufinum, Lib. I.; translated in the London Quarterly Review, No. LXXXV. p. 187.

mony to distinguished bodies or communities of men, and to this end, I will quote a few examples of the deliberate and well-considered sentiments of the American Revolutionary Congress.

On occasion of recommending a fast, this Congress declared, that "the great Governor of the world, by his supreme and universal Providence, not only conducts the course of nature with unerring wisdom and rectitude, but frequently influences the minds of men to serve the wise and gracious purposes of his providential government; that it is, at all times, our indispensable duty devoutly to acknowledge his superintending Providence, and to reverence and adore his immutable justice." They say, (March 16th, 1776,) they are "desirous to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God's superintending Providence, and of their duty devoutly to rely, in all their lawful enterprises, on his aid and direction." They declare the end of setting apart the day to be, "that we may with united hearts confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness." March 7th, 1778, they recommend a similar day, "that, at one time and with one voice, the inhabitants may acknowledge the righteous dispensations of Divine Providence, confess their iniquities and transgressions, and implore the mercy and forgiveness of God, and beseech him that vice, profaneness, extortion, and every evil may be done away, and that we may be a reformed and happy people." Another proclamation of March 11th, 1780, recommends, "that we may, with one heart and one voice, implore the Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth to remember mercy in his judgments, to make us sincerely penitent for our transgressions, to banish vice and irreligion from among us, and establish virtue and piety by his divine grace." March 20th, 1781, "That we may with united hearts confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his righteous displeasure, and, through the merits of our blessed Saviour, obtain pardon and forgiveness;

* Journals of Congress, 12th June, 1775.

that it may please him to inspire our rulers with incorruptible integrity, and to direct and prosper their councils; that it may please him to bless all schools and seminaries of learning, and to grant that truth, justice, and benevolence, and pure and undefiled religion may universally prevail."

Such is a small specimen of the sentiments of the illustrious fathers of the American revolution, on the moral tendency and effect of a belief in God and his superintending Providence. They do honor to their authors, and are the best illustration, by way of authority, of the practical moral efficacy of a belief in the God of heaven and earth, which could well be given. I may fear having done them injustice by quoting so small a part of their valuable sentiments, dispersed through the Congressional documents. They are worthy of the serious and careful perusal of every American citizen. *

Belief in God, then, and in his superintending Providence, is alike the foundation of morals and of religion. In God is concentrated all that is sublime, glorious, holy, and happy. A belief in him includes something more than a mere acknowledgment of his existence; it includes a belief in him, as he has made himself known in his works,† and more especially in the revelation which he has made of himself, his nature, his attributes, and his will respecting mankind, in the Scriptures of the Old and New TestaBut the moral effect of a belief in God, and of the great truths embraced in such belief, will depend very much on the strength and vividness of our conviction and on the fulness and exactness of the instruction which we have received.

ment.

Unquestionably, the existence of God, of his Providence, and of the great truths of Divine revelation, may be acknowledged in general terms, without a corresponding moral effect being seen in the life and conversation. The heathen, whose case St. Paul describes, acknowledged God, (knew God,) still they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. So darkened,

Larger portions of them are quoted, and all of them are referred to, in Note E. pp. 35-39, of a Sermon preached by the Author before the Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of South Carolina, 1833. 2d ed. † Rom. i. 20. Rom. i. 19-32.