ideas. It is in this sense, that one may say, that the conduct of Providence is a mystery; because, though we know various things concerning the manner in which Providence governs this universe, we are very far from knowing all the rules, which it observes in this great regard.

3. We give the name of mystery to what is obscure and unknown to us in the things that relate to religion. We do not know, for example, in what time God will make his Gospel known to those nations, which hitherto have been plunged in the darkness of paganism; this to us, we say, is a mystery. We are ignorant also, for instance, in what manner God will judge those who shall have fallen into this or that error, which appears dangerous to us; in this we acknowledge a mystery. We are ignorant what motive influenced the Deity to communicate his Gospel to one nation rather than to another at a certain time; on this subject we say, with St. Paul, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

4. Divines give the name of mystery to certain doctrines, which are, say they, above reason, and which reason cannot comprehend. In this sense they style the doctrine of the Trinity and Incarnation a mystery.

5. There are divines, who make use of this word to denote doctrines, which are not only incom

prehensible but even contradictory. It is in this sense that the Roman Catholics call their transubstantiation a mystery.

In fine, the word mystery is sometimes employed to denote in general the truths of religion. It seems even that the scripture sometimes makes use of it in this sense. Thus Christ said to his disciples; "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," that is, to know the truths of my Gospel, which remain concealed from the rest of mankind. "Let every one regard us," says St. Paul, "as stewards of the mysteries of Christ," meaning of those truths, which Jesus Christ came to teach men, and of which the greatest part of men are ignorant. "We speak to you the wisdom of God in a mystery;" that is, we publish an excellent institution, which God has revealed to us, and the greatest part of whose truths was before unknown to the world. These are things, which eye hath not seen, as he afterwards adds, nor ear heard, and which it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive.

The Jews and Pagans were fallen into such dreadful darkness of ignorance and error, that the greatest part of the truths, even the most plain and obvious, which the Apostles preached to them, were mysteries to them; truths which they had been ignorant of till that time, and for the knowledge of which they were indebted to the Apostles. For which reason it is, that these last sometimes give the

name of mystery to the truths which they deliver, whatever may be their nature; because being unknown, they were mysteries to the people to whom they were communicated. To take the word mystery in this general sense, all religion will be full of mysteries, since in this sense they give the name of mystery to all the truths which it contains, even to the plainest, and to those which are the most level to our capacity. But this is not the business in hand. The question is to know, if, by taking this word in the other senses which we have indicated, we can aver that there are mysteries in religion. This is what we shall immediately examine.

1. First, then, if by mysteries are understood truths which revelation discovers, and which were unknown to us by reason, it is certain that there are various mysteries of this kind in the Christian religion. Those truths, for example, that Jesus Christ is the saviour of men; that he passed his life in an abject condition; that he died upon a cross; that he is risen again; that he ascended into heaven; that he shed from thence the effusions of the spirit upon the Apostles; that he will come one day to judge the whole world; that all the dead shall rise to make their appearance together at his tribunal; and several other truths of this nature, are things of which our reason could not inform us, and which we have learned solely from christianity. They are therefore all of them so many mysteries, which the Gospel

hath revealed to us. But it ought to be remarked, that after this revelation these mysteries cease to be mysteries; they are no longer things concealed; they are things which we know as accurately as those truths, which are best known to us by reason; they are secrets which cease to be secrets to us, from the moment that God has been pleased to impart them to us. One ought not to make any difficulty in receiving mysteries of this kind, which one may find in the books of the New Testament. The divinity of these books once proved, we ought to receive all the truths in which they instruct us in a clear and accurate manner, though reason of itself would not conduct us to those truths.

2. If by mystery we understand doctrines, which only give us inadequate ideas of the subjects, which they present to our minds, it is certain that there are diverse mysteries of this nature in religion. All the perfections of God, all his works, our own nature, are in this respect mysteries. We have only very imperfect ideas of all these things. What the scripture delivers to us on these topics, is not sufficient to give us a perfect knowledge of these great objects. At present, says St. Paul, we see but in part, we see through a glass darkly. There is in almost all things, which are the objects of religion, a bright and dark side. In this respect then, there are almost every where mysteries. But what ought to be remarked is, that we are obliged to receive of these

mysterious doctrines only what is clear in them, and what is level to our capacities. We are obliged to view them only on the luminous side, which they exhibit to us. We ought not, neither can we contemplate them on the dark, by which they are inaccessible to us. I will render this reflection perceptible by an instance. One may regard eternity as a mystery. In eternity there are circumstances we cannot comprehend. How is it possible, for example, to add always to a duration which is already infinite? If a being hath existed from all eternity, it seems that he must have existed an infinite number of years, an infinite number of days. Are there then as many years as days in the immense extent of his duration? These are difficulties which extremely embarrass us on this subject. This is the dark side of this doctrine, on which we are not obliged to pronounce. But there is in the eternity of God something clear, and of which we easily form an idea; that is, that God hath always existed, and that he will always exist; that he hath had no beginning, and will never have an end; and this is all we are obliged to believe on this subject. With regard to mysteries of this nature, therefore, we ought to receive what they exhibit to us clearly, and to suspend our judgment in acknowledging our ignorance in regard to what is obscure in them.

3. If by mystery is understood what is obscure and unknown to us in the things of religion, it is very