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The Being and Perfections of God proved from his Works.

DISCOURSE III.

ROMANS i. 20.

For the invifible Things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly feen, being understood by the Things that are made, even his eternal Power and Godhead; fo that they are without Excufe.

H

AVING confidered the Existence

of God as demonftrated from his wonderful Works, and also taken a fummary View of fome of thofe divine Perfections and Attributes which effentially belong to the great Creator and Governor of the World, particularly his Eternity and neceffary Existence, from whence it follows

that

that he must be self-fufficient, independent, and unchangeable, his Immenfity and Omniprefence, his almighty Power, his infi-. nite Knowledge and Wisdom; let us now proceed briefly to confider thofe which are ufually called his moral Attributes, and which are abfolutely neceffary to be believed and known by us, as without a Sense of them there can be no fuch Thing as Religion. And these alfo may be justly regarded as effentially included in that Godhead, and in those invifible Things of God, which the Apostle here tells us are understood by the Things which are made, They are those of the divine Attributes that we find it leaft difficult to apprehend, fince we may trace the Refemblances of them in our own Natures, which may affift us to form fome Notion of them, as they are in God in the higheft poffible Degree of Eminency. For it is a Principle of the clearest Evidence, that whatever Excellencies are to be found in any derivative dependent Being, are all fummed up in the fupreme univerfal Caufe from whom they are derived, and that in an infinitely higher Degree of Perfection, and without thofe Limitations and Defects with which they are attended in the Crea¬

ture.

And

And in confidering the moral Attributes of God, one of the first that prefenteth itself to our Minds, is his infinite Goodnefs. This feemeth to be naturally included in the Idea of an infinitely perfect Body. It may easily be fuppofed, that a finite Being, who is not felf-fufficient, who may want, or think he wanteth, fomething to complete his Happiness which others are poffeffed of, may have narrower Views ta his own private Interests or Appetites, and confequently may be malevolent, envious, and revengeful, which is the Reverse of true Goodnefs. But that the infinite and all-fufficient Being, who hath no Superior, no Equal or Competitor, and who is incapable of having the least Addition made to his own Perfection and Happiness; that he should be capable of Envy, Malice, narrow selfish Affections, or malignant Difpofitions, is abfolutely unconceiv able. But though God's Goodness may, according to this Way of Reafoning, be plainly inferred from the infinite and abfolute Perfection of his Nature, as that may be argued from his Eternity and in→ dependent neceffary Exiftence; yet the most obvious and convincing Proof of his Goodness, is that which arifeth from the Discoveries of it that are every where obfervable in his wonderful Works. The

Creation

Creation of the World is a manifest Proof of his/Goodnefs; fince it is hard to conceive what could move the felf-fufficient Jehovah to create this great Syftem of the Universe, and fo many different Orders of Beings in it, but the diffufive Benignity of his Nature, which causeth him to delight in communicating Happiness, and in diftributing freely out of his boundless Fulnefs. The flightest Obfervation may con-vince us, that this Globe of ours, which is that Part of the Creation which we are best acquainted with, (and we may justly conclude the fame concerning all the other Parts of this vaft Univerfe) is full of the Goodness of the Lord. It is furnished with an ample Variety of Things, proper for the Ufe and Entertainment of the Creatures that live upon it, and especially of Mankind. God hath fo conftituted our Natures, as to make us capable of taking in Pleasures of feveral Kinds, fenfitive, intellectual, and moral. These last are of a far higher and nobler Nature than the former, and have the greatest Influence on our Happiness. But even fenfitive Enjoyments, if duly regulated, contribute not a little to the Satisfaction of human Life; as we are furnished with various fenfitive Organs and Appetites, and capable of exciting in us the most agreeable Senfations.

And

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