Secondly, On the other fide, I fhall inftance in thofe things that are the great crimes, that are deftructive to confcience and inconfiftent with religion, abominations to God, and high provocations of him, that are evil in themselves, fo that we are univerfally and unalterably engaged to avoid them.

By that time I have spoken to both these, I fhall have given a full account of the text, what that wickednefs is which God abhors, and who thofe are that are hated of God upon account of iniquity; and fo fhall declare to you, not what is subject to debate in religion and question, but things of indubitable certainty and unquestionable obligation; things that are fundamental things, that are religion itself, things that are requifite in order to our preparation and difpofition for the state of immortality and glory. I shall handle thefe diftinctly, one after another.

1. The first great thing, is to acknowledge and to reverence the deity; this is of perpetual obligation, this hath the greateft neceffity, there is no difpenfation in this matter; for the fenfe of a deity is inherent in intellectual nature; there is no inftinct that is ftronger than this fenfe; no fympathy or natural quality doth more determine. This is acknowledged, where there hath been no revelation from God, but only the principles of natural light; I will inftance in one for many; that fhall be Seneca; nulla gens ufquam eft adeo contra leges morefque projecta, ut non aliquos Deos credat there was never any nation in any time, fo much a stranger, fo much an enemy to the principles of reafon and good manners, but they have always had fome belief, and made fome acknowledg

ment

ment of a deity. And he adds (for when I name him, I produce a man that had no more advantage than the heathenifh world, than one in the wilderness. of the world) nec in hunc furorem omnes mortales confenfiffent, alloquendi furda numina & inefficaces deos:

neither can we conceive that the world in all times hath been fo acted by madnefs, or by fury, as to take upon them to invoke fomething for a deity, and apply to him for relief, if they had not certainly refolved in themselves, that God is both able and willing to relieve; that there is a deity, and that it is our fecurity to make application to him. A teftimony beyond all exception.

I add therefore, that it is the proper propenfion of the mind and understanding to incline to God. We have several propenfions that are natural; the connatural propenfion of mind and underftanding, is towards God. Omnis intellectus deum quærit, this is written upon this faculty; our understanding fecks God, as any faculty feeks out its proper object. We divert our highest faculty from its proper ufe and employment, we rob God, and fo are facrilegious, if we turn our mind and understanding from him : it is violence, it is distortion, it is degeneracy, it is apoftacy, nothing is more ugly, more deformed in the world, than to live without fenfe of him, without whom we cannot live; to have no respect or regard for him, from whofe goodness we receive the greatest benefits; to have no honour for the father of our fpirits, what more unequal, reafon it self being judge? Mal. i. 6. If I be a father, where is my honour. Now this faculty God doth undertake to teach and inftruct VOL, IV.

for

for (Pfal. xciv. 10.) God teaches the mind of man knowledge. And God doth not only teach and inftruct, but he alfo fatisfies and clears things up, and appeals to this faculty, makes this faculty judge; is it not comely? what could I have done more? Ifaiah v. 4. Are not my ways equal? Ezek. xviii. 25. Are not your ways unequal? Abundance of fuch places of fcripture, which do suppose this, they are in vain if this be not true, that mind and understanding have a peculiarity and property God-ward; they have a fufficiency, and they are specially under God's government; the mind and understanding of man are fitted for God, and determined to find him out in his ways, to follow him in his works, as the eye of man is qualified and fitted to fee the fun, or the ear fit to hear founds.

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And on the contrary, without God and without providence, there is no living in the world. For in respect of all visible causes, there is no fatisfaction; for thefe are either infufficient or uncertain: all other causes are infufficient to do what we stand in need of, or expect from them; or else are uncertain; we cannot be sure if voluntary causes, then uncertain because free; and other caufes may be infufficient ; for what other things can speak to the fatisfaction of our minds, can answer our defires? I fay, what other things below man, can do this? Wherefore to believe that there is a God, is the most fatisfactory thing in the world; and to be without God, is to be without all foundation of hope, or ground of fatisfaction; for to believe there is a God, is to believe the existence of all poffible good and perfection in the universe;

univerfe; and it is to be refolved upon, that things either are, or finally fhall be as they fhould be and this concludes all the evil in the world, and fatisfies for all irregularity and diforder. Whofoever believes there is a God, doth believe there is that which is chief in the world, that hath the government in the world, and hath the difpofal of it; that there is an existence of all poffible good and perfection, and that things finally shall be as they should be, whether we are in being or no. If there be a God, we cannot but fuppofe that he will finally order all things for the beft, though at prefent they may feem otherwife; and this is fatisfactory. On the other fide, if a man do not believe there is a God; what faith, or what hope can an atheist have, who acknowledgeth nothing but fenfelefs ftupid matter, and the giddy, unconftant, fortuitous motions of it? This is all an atheift hath to depend upon, to refolve all his thoughts upon, and expectations from. But what good cannot be reasonably expected from the deity, which hath an universal superintendence, by him who looks up to God? what poffible good, fay I, may not reafonably be expected by him that hath an eye to God, from a being which hath an universal inspection, superintendence and government of all things? For there is nothing at all can prejudice our expectation from God, but wickednefs, which is a perverseness of fpirit, an undue motion of infidelity, and of confenting to iniquity. For we have foundation of affurance, and ground of confidence in the divine grace and goodness towards us, that he will protect us, and finally bring us to perfection, if we ourselves do not interpofe

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interpofe by malignity and naughtiness of spirit which are things of contradi&ion to God. For befides our relation to God, we came into the world with God's care, and we live at his cofts and charges, at his maintainance and allowance; we live by him, are of him, have all expectation from him. Now God, who did begin by creation, he will go on and purfue his own beginning; for God delights in doing us good, if we be but capable, and prove not enemies to our own felves: and this is a comfortable point to us, of grand importance to our encouragement, doth animate us in this our pilgrimage, and ftrengthen us to go on in a way of faith and patience; to confide and truft in God, and refer ourselves to him.

But because I see what may be alleged against this, I will answer it by the way: it may be objected, why then doth not God keep evil out of the world, which he might do if he would? To this I give you a fhort anfwer; evil cannot be kept out of the world, but by abfolute reftraint and violence, which God will not use, because they are contrary to the plot and whole defign of his creation. Now the defign of

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he hath made us, nature; fo we are

God's creation of man, lies thus and invested us with intellectual intelligent and voluntary agents. Now becaufe we are creatures of finite and limited perfections, we are liable to mistake, to offend, to tranfgrefs; by abufe of our liberty, we may do to God difhonour and our fouls wrong; fo that this peccability or incidency to offend, doth arife from the imperfection of free-willed causes being left to themselves. The ftate we are in here, is a probation-state, a state of trial; we are

here