An Ob

of the

a

Chriftian

Truths, in order to inform their Minds, and with a perfect Rule of all neceffary Duties, in order to direct their Lives: and 'tis by this Criterion that we defire to try the Merits of Chriftianity, both as to its Speculative and practical part.

"But as to the fpeculative part of jection « Chriftianity, fays the Enemy pregainst the Mysteries " fently, we have a little too much of "its Doctrines, which feem not a little Religion. "Contradictory, and Myfteries, that we cannot comprehend, even tho' you fay they are reveal'd. The Existence "of a God, the Difpenfations of Provi"dence, the Spirituality of our Souls,

a future State and future Judgment, "thefe are points, that we readily al"low, because they are founded in the "nature of Things, and rife in the "Mind upon the Difquifitions of Rea"fon; but as for your Stories of the

Trinity, the Co-equality, Incarnation, "and Propitiation of Jefas, &c. of these we can frame no manner of Concep"tion, and therefore you muft excufe (( us, if we do not believe them. h For "where is the Crime of not performing Impoffibilities, or not believing what does "not appear to us to be true? What "worfe Opinion can we have of the Di

"vine

"vine Goodness, than to imagine, that a mean denial of our Reafon, or a wretch"ed Affectation of believing any point, too “ hard for our Understanding, can entitle us to his Favour?

them

It cannot be denied indeed, but that, Anfwer'd in the Chriftian Religion, there are ma- from the Confideny great Myfteries, or Doctrines of too ration of much fublimity for the powers of Rea- the fon, unaffifted by Revelation, to find Things out, or, when discovered, fully to com- selves. prehend; but this is no more than what we might reasonably expect, confidering the nature and quality of the Things, it treats of. In its main Intendment, it is a kind of Comment upon the Divine Nature, or an Inftrument to convey right Conceptions to the Soul of Man, as far as it is capable of receiving them. But now God, we know, is an infinite Being, without any Bounds or Limitations of his Effence; wonderful in his Actions, inconceivable in his Purposes, and inexpreffible in his Attributes; and how can fuch vaft and mighty Things be crouded in a little finite Understanding? How fhall our poor, fhort Faculties be able to measure the lengths of his Eternity, the breadth and Expanfions of his Immenfity, the heights of his Prefcience, the depth of his Decrees, and, Gg 2

laft

Which

laft of all, the unutterable, incomprehenfible Mystery of two Natures united into one Perfon, and again of one and the fame Nature diffus'd into a triple Perfonality? When a Man that is born Blind (as one expreffes it) fhall be able, on hear-fay, to conceive in his Mind all the Varieties and Curiofities of Colours, or to draw an exact scheme of fome fine City, or Map of fome large Province, then may we expect, in this degenerate State of our Understanding, to comprehend the ways of the Almighty, and by fearching find out God: but (to do Juftice to the Argument on the other fide) as it would be extremely foolish and irrational, for a blind Man to affirm, that there is no fuch thing as Colours, or Lines, or Pictures, because he finds that he cannot form in his Mind any true Perception of them; so would it be equally, if not fuperlatively more unreasonable, for us to deny the great Myfteries of our Faith, because the Plummet of our Reafon will not reach them.

Wish therefore we may, that Religion are a pro- were lefs difficult to us, but, at the fame per Sub-time, we ought to remember that we wish je&t for our pre- away that, which, in reality, is Religi

Sent

on's prefent Commendation, as well as an ingredient of our future Happiness.

South's Sermons, Vol. I.

For,

k

For, as it is eafinefs of accefs, that, many Times, lays a Man open to contempt, and a thorough Infpection into the fecrets of any Object, that is apt to make us neglect it; fo, to protect our Religion from rude Encroachments, by impres fing an awe and reverential Fear upon our Minds, God has thought proper to hedge it in (as it were) with a facred and majeftick Obfcurity, and, in fome parts of it, to exhibit fuch fublime Truths as tranfcend the reach of human Wifdom; thereby to humble the pride and haughtiness of our Reason, and thereby. to engage us in a closer and more diligent fearch into fuch Subjects, as will, every moment, furnish us with new matter to entertain the bufieft Contemplation, even to the utmost period of human Life.

ture Con

While therefore we continue in this and fu State, we must be content to know in templapart: a full and adequate perception of tion. the Myfteries of our Religion is referv'd, as a principal Ingredient of our Felicity and Happiness above, when all the heights and depths, which we now stand amazed at, fhall be made clear and familiar to us; when God fhall display the hidden Glories of his Nature, the Wonders of his Providence, and the

Gg 3

South's Serm. Vol. I.

Wifdcm

'I Cor. xiii. 12.

ADiftinc

tween

must be

Wisdom of his Counfels; and, with all,
fortify the Eye of the Soul to fuch a
degree, as to make it able (as far as the
Capacities of an human Intellect can be
able) to behold and take them in.

To have a right notion of the Doctrines
tion be of our Religion however, we are to diftin-
things a guish between thofe Things,that are above
bov, and Reafon, and incomprehenfible, and those,
things we that are against Reafon, and utterly in-
careful - conceivable. a Some things are above
gainst Reafon, becaufe of their tranfcendent
Reafon.
Excellency and Distance from us; where-
as thofe that are against Reason involve
a Contradiction, and have a natural Re-
pugnancy to our Understandings, which
cannot conceive any thing that is for-
mally impoffible. And from hence it
will follow, that tho' we neither ean,
nor fhou'd believe thofe things, that are
contrary to our Reafon, yet we both
may, and ought to believe those, that
are above it and the Reason is, b be-
cause the only evidence, we can give of
Why we
ought to our acknowledging the infallible truth
aflent to of God, is by affenting to what he af-
theformer, firms upon his own Authority.

and why

it is rea- In affenting to a Propofition, whose. fonable Truth we perceive from the Reason of the Thing, we do not affent upon any

to expe

fuch in a divine

Revelati

on.

Authority

Bates's Harmony of Divine Attributes.
Rogers's Neceffity of a Divine Revelation.