to have a high Esteem and Admiration for a virtuous and juft Prince or Magistrate, that hath a steady uniform Regard to impartial Righteoufnefs and Equity in all his Adminiftrations, and who fheweth a noble Deteftation of all Injustice and Falfhood, Vice and Wickedness. And, on the other Hand, if we obferve a Man that hath no Regard to Truth and Honour, that is falfe and unjust, vicious and impure, fuch a Character naturally begetteth in us Abborrence or Contempt; and the more exalted fuch a Perfon is in his Station or Power, the more the Odiousness, the Malignity and Deformity of his Character and Conduct, and the evil and pernicious Influence of it appeareth.

Now can it be thought that the great Author of our Beings would have implanted fuch a Sense of the Beauty and Excellency of Juftice, Truth, and Righteousness, in our Nature, and which can scarce ever be utterly erased, if he himself were not holy, juft, and righteous? Or would he have implanted in us fuch a strong and indelible Senfe of the Evil and Deformity of Vice, Injuftice, and Falfhood, whereby we are almoft invariably carried in our calm Thoughts to difapprove and condemn it in ourselves and others, if he himself had not a fixed Averfion to that which

is unjuft, false, and unrighteous? If the greater Degree there is of real Worth and Excellency in any Man, the greater Love and Regard he hath to that which is just, and true, and pure, and virtuous, and praife-worthy, and the greater Abhorrence of the contrary; then certainly God, the fupreme Caufe, from whom is derived whatfoever is excellent in Men, or any created Beings, must have an infinitely greater Love to Righteoufnefs, Truth, Purity, and Virtue, and an infinitely greater Detestation of all moral Evil. As his Understanding and Wifdom is infinite, fo he cannot but have a most just and perfect Discernment of the moral Differences of Things, and of whatsoever is agreeable or difagreeable to the eternal Rules of Order. He at once feeth and knoweth in every Inftance what is fit for him to do, and what is proper to be done by his Creatures in all their various Relations towards him, and towards one another. He can never poffibly mistake the amiable and praise-worthy, for the irregular, foul, and odious, or put Wrong for Right, or Right for Wrong, Falfhood for Truth, or Truth for Falfhood. And agreeable to the pure and perfect Light of his Mind, is the Rectitude of his Will, whereby he is eternally and invariably determined to will F 2

and

and to do that which appeareth to his unerring Understanding to be good and right, and hath a steady Averfion to whatsoever is unjuft, foul, and disorderly, repugnant to the Reason of Things, and to the pure and bright Ideas of his infinite Mind. He can have nothing to turn him afide from an inviolable Regard to the facred Rules of Juftice and Equity, no falfe Judgment to mislead him, no irregular Appetites and Paffions to corrupt and pervert him, no private Interests to bribe him, nothing to hope or to fear from the Favour or Displeasure of any Being whatsoever.

This moral Excellency of the divine Nature as comprehending his Purity and Holiness, his Righteoufnefs and Juftice, his Faithfulness and Truth, is often infifted upon in the facred Writings, as being very neceffary to be known and confidered by us. It is there declared that God is the Rock, his Work is perfect, and all his Ways are Judgment; a God of Truth, and without Iniquity; juft and right is he. Deut. xxxii. 4. that the Lord is upright, and there is no Unrighteousness in him. Pfal. xcii.

15.

that the Truth of the Lord endureth for ever; and that it is impoffible for God to lie. Pfal. cxvii. 2. Heb. vi. 18. that he is of purer Eyes than to behold Evil, and

cannot

cannot look at Iniquity: i. e. cannot look upon it without Deteftation and Abhorrence,

Habbak. i. 13. The heavenly Hofts are represented as celebrating him under this Character, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hofts. Ifa. vi. 3. And this is the Subject of that noble and triumphant Song, Rev. XV. 3, 4. Great and marvellous are thy Works, Lord God almighty; juft and true are thy Ways, O thou King of Saints. Who would not fear thee, and glorify thy Name? For thou only art holy. He alone is originally, eternally, and unchangeably holy. The Holinefs and Righteoufnefs of God shineth forth to us in the Precepts of his written Law, which are holy, juft, and good, and is brightly exemplified in the Life and Character of Jefus Chrift, his well-beloved Son, the living Image of the invifible Deity here below, who was full of Grace and Truth, perfectly holy, harmless, undefiled, and who did no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth By looking to him, and obferving his Temper and Conduct, we may behold the most lovely Representation of the Holiness, and Truth, and Purity, as well as of the Goodness and Mercy of God. So that under the Gofpel we have peculiar Advantages for knowing and contemplating the amiable moral Excellencies of the Deity, which are now difplayed

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displayed to us in the most convincing and affecting Light.

It must be acknowledged indeed, that there are fome Things in the prefent Courfe of the divine Difpenfations, which we find hard to reconcile to our Notions of the perfect Righteoufnefs and Equity of the Supreme Being. God's Judgments are reprefented in fome Inftances as unSearchable, and his Ways paft finding out. But fill we are affured, that though Clouds and Darkness are round about him, yet Righteousness and Judgment are the Habitation, or Establishment, of his Throne. Pfal. xcvii. 2. Righteous is the Lord in all his Ways, and holy in all his Works. Pfal. cxlv. 17. And fo undoubtedly it fhall appear at the great Day of final Retributions, and the Revelation of the righteous Judgment of God, when the whole wonderful Scheme of the divine Adminiftrations towards Mankind shall be brought into a clear and open View, of which we now have very imperfect Apprehenfions, and fhall all appear to have been moft wifely and juftly

ordered.

Thus have I endeavoured to fet before you in a short and plain View the principal Attributes and Perfections which Reafon as well as Scripture teacheth us to afcribe unto God. As it appeareth by the

cleareft