SER M. to our Capacities, and what we can explain, III. give a Reason, and account for; if this, I

trary,

say, be what they mean, every Man that believes that Grafs is green, or that a LoadStone attracts Iron is an Inftance of the conAnd if the ordinary Operations of Nature be fo abftrufe; if her Secrets are beyond the Discovery of the most piercing Judgment and Reason; if after the most accurate Searches into fenfible Beings, and things that we daily fee and handle; if these are things which we cannot pretend to have a perfect Knowledge of; How unfit and unable must we be to comprehend and make out things that stand at an immense and infinite Diftance from us?

But fecondly, we may learn from the Doctrine of my Difcourfe, that it is the Duty of a Chriftian to make the Scriptures, and not his Reafon or Comprehenfion, the Measure of bis Faith: i. e. not to enquire or examine in the first place into the Quality of the Object, as whether a thing be comprehenfible or not, and then, as it appears to him, to proceed in his Belief or Disbelief of its being revealed: But first to examine into the Certainty of the Revelation, as whether fuch a thing be truly revealed; and if it be, to believe it notwith

standing

III.

ftanding its being incomprehenfible. For to SER M. follow the first Method, i. e. to make our Reason the Measure of Faith, is plainly alfo to make it the Measure of Divine Revelation. It is to affert that GOD can reveal nothing to us but what we can comprehend; which argues, that we have either a very low Opinion of GOD and his Perfections, or elfe a very high one of our own rational Endowments. But fure we should confider that finite Capacities can by no means grafp things infinite and boundless: Nay, we should confider that our prefent Powers of Knowledge are chiefly adapted to the things that belong to this prefent World; and fo are unable to conceive fome things which, perhaps, we may be able to understand in the next. And therefore though the Truth and Existence of many things are discovered and revealed to us; yet we can no more expect to have a distinct Idea of them in our prefent Capacities, than a Man born blind, though he believes there are fuch things as Light and Colours, can expect to have a Notion either of one or the other.

But thirdly, What has been faid plainly fhews (if duly attended to) the Danger of the Notion we are endeavouring to expofe, from the direct Tendency it has to overthrow

III.

SER M. and fubvert, not only the Fundamental Articles of our Faith, but the whole Chriftian Difpenfation, and indeed all Religion whatever, For if nothing that is above our Reafon be to be believed, and it can be proved that feveral things above Reafon are in the Scriptures of the New Teftament proposed to our Belief; we shall be obliged in confequence to renounce the Scriptures, as propofing things to us incredible and falfe. Nor yet shall we stop here, but ftill be hurried on to deny the very Being of God himself; fince Self-existence, Eternity, Omni-prefence, Foreknowledge and other fuch like Attributes (which are neceffary to a GoD) are as incomprehenfible, and as much above our Understanding or Reason, as any thing in the Notion of a Trinity can be. So that from the Denial of three Perfons (if founded only upon this Principle) we may be quickly brought to deny the one GOD; and from believing nothing but what we can comprehend, be led directly to believe nothing at all.

But fourthly, If fome of the Articles of our Faith are so myfterious and incomprehenfible; it certainly becomes us to treat and discourse of them with Modefty and Humili ty; not to be too inquifitive in our Searches

after

III.

after them; nor too bold and forward in de- SER M. fining and defcribing them. The Substance

of the Doctrines is what we muft defend and earnestly contend for, as being the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints, Jude 3. But the Manner and Modus of them is not to be explained, because it is no where laid open to us in Scripture. This fhould restrain us from fpeaking of them otherwife than in general Terms, and in fuch as we find to have been made ufe of in the pureft Ages of the Church. If indeed Innovators of the Faith fhould endeavour to mifguide and delude the People, by an artful Mifapplication of the old Terms, or by an. Invention of new ones; it then lyes upon the Guardians of our Faith, either to refcue the old Catholick Forms or Manner of Expreffion, or else to exprefs the Catholick Faith in other Terms, more explicite, and not fo liable to be perverted and abused. And if, when preffed by this Neceffity, they are forced to introduce fome new Expreffions, which may not, perhaps, be fo fimple and well known; they muft anfwer for it, who made it neceffary, by not refting easy and contented with those which, perhaps, were more primitive and plain. This, we truft, will not be imputed to those who with

I 4

III.

SER M. with Modefty, Humility and Faith, undertake the Cause of God and his Chrift; but to those who abounding with a Wantonness of Wit, first lose themselves in a Labyrinth of wild Opinions, and then becoming more and more entangled and perplexed, are scarce ever reducible to a right Temper again. But let fuch of us, as are not fo far involved, always endeavour to keep our felves free from Pride and a Conceit of our own Abilities and Strength, the Root and Source of all Error and Herefy. Let us remember that the Myfteries of our Religion are things which even the Angels defire to look into, 1 Pet. i. 12. and yet, perhaps, are not able to comprehend them. But whether they be or not, it certainly becomes us, (who are not Angels, nor like Angels yet) to wait for our Vision in the other Life, and to be fatisfied and content, with other good Chriftians, humbly to believe and adore in this. To this Ed let us bear in Mind the excellent Leffon of the wife Son of Sirach; Seek not the things that are too hard for thee, neither fearch the things that are above thy Strength: But what is commanded thee, think thereupon with Reverence, for it is not needful for thee to fee with thine Eyes the things that are in fecret. Be

not