Imatges de pàgina
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tinually receiving additions, which is, in our idea, the fame thing as its growing continually larger; and the latter is conftantly fuffering as great diminutions, which in our idea, is the fame thing as its growing continually lefs; yet we are forced to acknowledge that they both ever have been, and always must be exactly equal; neither of them being at any time conceivably greater, or lefs than the other. Nay we cannot conceive how both these eternities, added together, can be greater than either of them separately taken.

Having demonftrated the existence of God, as the first cause, the creator, and difpofer of all things; we are naturally led to inquire, in the next place, what properties or attributes he is poffeffed of. Now thefe naturally divide themfelves into two claffes; being either fuch as flow from his being confidered as the original cause of all things, or fuch as the particular nature of the works of which he is the author lead us to ascribe to him;

SECTION II.

Of thofe attributes of the deity which are deduced from the confideration of his being the original cause of all things.

WITHOUT any particular regard to the

works of God, we cannot but conclude that the original cause of all things must have

been

been eternal; for, fince nothing can begin to exist without a caufe, if there ever had been a time when nothing exifted, nothing could have exifted at prefent.

Secondly, this original caufe muft likewife be immutable, or not subject to change. We seem to require no other proof of this, than the impoffibility of conceiving whence a change could arife in a being uncaufed. If there was no cause of his existence itself, it seems to follow, that there could be no caufe of a change in the manner of his existence; fo that whatever he was originally, he muft for ever continue to be. Befides, a capacity of producing a change in any being or thing, implies fomething prior and superior, fomething that can control, and that is incapable of being refifted; which can only be true of the fupreme cause itself.

The immutability of the divine being, or his being incapable of being acted upon, or controlled by any other, is what we mean when we fay that he is an independent being, if by this term we mean any thing more than his being uncaufed.

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SECTION III.

Of thofe attributes of the divine being which the con-fideration of his works leads us to afcribe to him.

THAT

HAT God is eternal, and immutable, follows neceffarily, as we have feen, from his being uncaufed; but if we confider the effects of which he is the caufe, or, in other words, the works of which he is the author, we fhall be led to ascribe to him other attributes, particularly those of power, wisdom, and goodness; and confequently all the attributes which are neceffarily connected with, or flow from them.

If we call a being powerful, when he is able to produce great effects, or to accomplish great works, we cannot avoid ascribing this attribute to God, as the author of every thing that we behold; and when we confider the apparent greatness, variety, and extent of the works of God, in the whole frame of nature; as in the fun, moon, and ftars; in the earth which we inhabit, and in the vegetables and animals which it contains, together with the powers of reafon and understanding pofieffed by man, we cannot fuppofe any effect to which the divine power is not equal; and therefore we are authorised to say that it is infinite, cr capable of producing any thing, that is not in its

own

own nature impoffible; fo that whatever purposes the divine being forms, he is always able to

execute.

The defigns of fuch a being as this, who cannot be controlled in the execution of any of his purpofes, would be very obvious to us if we could comprehend his works, or fee the iffue of them; but this we cannot do with respect to the works of God, which are both incomprehenfible by our finite understandings, and alfo are not yet compleated; for as far as they are subject to our infpection, they are evidently in a progrefs to fomething more perfect. Yet from the fubordinate parts of this great machine of the univerfe, which we can in fome measure understand, and which are compleated; and alfo from the manifeft tendency of things, we may fafely conclude, that the great defign of the divine being, in all the works of his hands, was to produce happiness.

That the world is in a state of improvement is very evident in the human fpecies, which is the moft diftinguished part of it. Knowledge, and a variety of improvements depending upon knowledge (all of which are directly or indirectly fubfervient to happiness) have been increafing from the time of our earliest acquaintance with hiftory to the prefent; and in the last century this progrefs has been amazingly rapid. By means. of increafing commerce, the valuable productions of the

earth

earth become more equally diftributed, and by im provements in agriculture they are continually multiplied, to the great advantage of the whole family of mankind.

It is partly in confequence of this improvement of the human fpecies, as we may call it, that the earth itself is in a ftate of improvement, the cultivated parts continually gaining ground on the uncultivated ones; by which means, befides many other advantages, even the inclemencies of the weather are, in fome measure, leffened, and the world becomes a more healthy and pleasurable abode for its moft important inhabitants. If things proceed as they have done in these respects, the earth will become a paradife, compared to what it was formerly, or with what it is at prefent.

It is a confiderable evidence of the goodness of God, that the inanimate parts of nature, as the furface of the earth, the air, water, falts, minerals, &c. are adapted to answer the purposes of vegetable and animal life, which abounds every where; and the former of these is evidently fubfervient to the latter; all the vegetables that we are acquainted with either cirectly contributing to the support of animal life, or being, in fome other way, ufeful to it; and all animals are furnished with a variety of appetites and powers, which continually

prompt

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