PHILOSOPHY.

BOOK V.

DUTIES TOWARDS GOD.

IN

CHA P. I

Divifion of thefe Duties.

N one sense, every duty is a duty towards God, fince it is his will which makes it a duty: but there are fome duties, of which God is the object, as well as the author; and these are peculiarly, and in a more appropriated sense, called duties towards God.

That filent piety, which confifts in a habit of tracing out the Creator's wisdom and goodness in the objects about us, or in the history of his difpenfations, of referring the bleffings

bleffings we enjoy to his bounty, and of reforting to his fuccour in our distress, may poffibly be more acceptable to the Deity, than any visible expreffions of devotion whatever. Yet thefe latter, which, although they may be excelled, are not superfeded by the former, compose the only part of the fubject, which admits of direction or difquifition from a moralift.

Our duty towards God, fo far as it is external, is divided into worship and reverence. God is the immediate object of both and the difference between them is, that the one confifis in action, the other in forbearance. When we go to church on the Lord's day, led thither by a sense of duty towards God, we perform an act of worship: when we reft in a journey upon that day, from the fame motive, we dif charge a duty of reverence.

Divine worship is made up of adoration, thanksgiving, and prayer. But, as what we have to offer concerning the two former may be obferved of prayer, we shall make that the title of the following chapters, and the direct subject of our confideration.

CHAP.

СНАР. II.

Of the Duty and of the Efficacy of Prayer, fo far as the fame appear from the Light of Nature.

WHEN

HEN one man defires to obtain any thing of another, he betakes himself to intreaty and this may be observed of mankind in all ages and countries of the world. Now what is univerfal, may be called natural; and it seems probable, that God, as our fupreme governor, fhould expect that towards himself, which by a natural impulfe, or by the irresistible order of our conftitution, he has prompted us to pay to every other being on whom we depend.

.१

The fame may be faid of thanksgiving.

Again, prayer is neceffary to keep up in the minds of mankind a fenfe of God's agency in the univerfe, and of their dependence upon him.

VOL. II.

D

But

But after all, the duty of prayer depends upon its efficacy: for I confefs myself unable to conceive, how any man can pray, or be obliged to pray, who expects nothing from his prayer, but is perfuaded at the time he utters his requeft, that it cannot poffibly produce the fmalleft impreffion upon the being to whom it is addreffed, or advantage to himself. Now the efficacy of prayer imports, that we obtain fomething in confequence of praying, which we should not have received without prayer; against all expectation of which, the following objection has been often and seriously alledged. If it be moft agreeable to perfect wisdom and juftice, that we should receive what we desire, God, as perfectly wife and juft, will give it to us without asking: if it be not agreeable to these attributes of his nature, our intreaties cannot move him to give it us, and it were impious to expect they should.' In fewer words, thus: 'If what we request, be fit for us, we shall have it without praying, if it be not fit for us, we cannot obtain it by praying.' This objection admits but of one answer, namely, that it may be agreeable to perfect wisdom and juftice to grant that to our prayers, which it would not have been

agree

agreeable to perfect wisdom to have given us without praying for. But what virtue, you will ask, is there in prayer, which fhould make a favour confiftent with wifdom, which would not have been fo without it? To this question, which contains the whole difficulty attending the subject, the following poffibilities are offered in reply.

1. A favour granted to prayer may be more apt, on that very account, to produce good effects upon the perfon obliged. It may hold in the divine bounty, what experience has raifed into a proverb in the collation of human benefits, that what is obtained without asking is oft-times received without gratitude.

2. It may be confiftent with the wifdom of the Deity to with-hold his favours till they be asked for, as an expedient to encourage devotion in his rational creation, in order thereby to keep up and circulate a knowledge and fenfe of their dependency upon bim.

3. Prayer has a natural tendency to amend the petitioner himself, and thus to D 2 bring