Se Ř M. III. The principal objections against the

Goodness of God answered.

:.: Mark X. 18. There is none good but one, that is God. 95

SE R . IV. The Goodness of God explained and

improved.

Mark X. 18.
There is none good but one, that is God.

144

SER M. V. The Justice of God explained and

proved.

: : Psalm lxxxix. 14. Justice and Judgment are the habitation of thy throne. :::

SER M.

Se r M. VI, VII. The Divine Perfections incompre

hensible.

Job xi. 7. Canst thou by searching find out God? Canft thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection ?

219, 252.

SER M. VIII. Religion distinguished from Super

ftition, and shewn to be true Wisdom.

Job xxviii. 28.
And unto Man be said, Behold the fear of the. *

Lord, that is Wisdom, and to depart from
Evil is understanding.

sunderstanding. . 282

: SE R M. IX. Religion shewn to be perfectly con- ;

fiftent with the true Interest of Mankind.

Job

Job xxviii. 28.
And unto Man he said, Behold the fear of the

Lord, that is Wisdom, and to depart from
Evil is understanding.

314

SERM. X.
The Love of God explained and

recommended.

Matthew xxii. 37.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy

Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all
thy mind.

- 347

*

de Ser M. XI.
Of Trust in God, and Praying to

him.

Pfal. Ixii. 8. · Trust in him at all Times; ye People, pour out

your Heart before him.

SER

(1) SERMON I. Moral Agency explain'd, and in what Sense it is to be attributed to God..

Rev. xv. 4. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify : thy Name? for thou only art Holy.

F all our inquiries concerning the fu- Serm. preme Being, none are more impor- I.

tant than those which relate to his moral Character ; for that is the immediate foundation of our duty to him, and our hopes from him. An intelligent Agent, posa sessed of an eternal immutable existence, al- * mighty Power, and infinite Knowledge, to! might be an object of speculation which would naturally end in distrust and horror: But perfect rectitude, equity, and goodness, are considered as practical principles, which fo determine his views, and direct the meaa ' i sures of his conduct towards other beings, as to be the object of affections, which we know are in the human mind, and of the utmost VOL. II,

A

con

SERM.consequence to its happiness ; the objects of 1. reverence, esteem, love, trust and a desire of

'imitation. This shews of how great moment, and how worthy of our attention the fubject is, which we are now entering upon, namely, the confideration of God's moral attributes. In this discourse. I will endeavour, first, to thew what clear and rational evidence we have of his moral agency in general. 2dly, In what fense, and with what limitations, it is attributed to him. 3dly, To what useful purposes it may be applied for the forming our tempers, and governing our practices.

First, to shew what clear and rational evidence we have of God's moral agency in general. Our idea of moral agency arises from an attention to what passes in our own minds. We find in ourselves conscious perception with a felf-determining power, and affections to certain objects variously exerting themfelves ; all which in fome degree, and within a limited sphere, seem to be common with us to other animals. But there is in the mind of man, which the brutal nature appears to be incapable of, a power of reflecting upon affe&tions, its own, or thofe of other agents, together with the actions proceeding from them, which are necessarily approved or disapproved, in other words, judged to be

good