Page images
PDF
EPUB

How this building, in which we are assembled, or the smallest part of the dress which we wear, came to be what it is, and should answer that no person made it, but it jumped together and held together by chance would not this be gross folly? And how shockingly foolish must it be then, to give the same account of the existence of a whole world so admirably contrived, adjusted, and conducted, throughout! As evidently, therefore, as any common piece of work proves a workman to have composed it, so evidently, and very much more, the immense fabric of the universe proves a Being of unspeakable power and skill to be the Creator of it.

And, accordingly, the belief of a wise and mighty Author of all hath been received in every age and nation; which clearly shows it to be founded in truth, and written in the hearts of men. They corrupted it gradually indeed: first, by unworthy representations of the true God, then by adding the worship of false gods, which at length excluded Him. But undeniably the primitive notion was that of an invisible mind, the Maker and Ruler of this visible frame, which, being plainly under one uniform direction, shows itself to have one only sovereign director and governor. This doctrine God Himself must have taught our first parents in the beginning: He hath confirmed it since by miracles from time to time; and perpetuated the evidence of it in His Holy Word.

That He is not perceived by any of our senses, is no objection at all against His being. For our minds also are imperceptible by sense. But as they, notwithstanding, show their existence, by moving and disposing of our bodies, according to their pleasure; so doth God show His, by moving and disposing of all things as He wills. And the same argument proves His presence with all things. For wherever he acts, there He certainly is: and therefore He is everywhere. Our presence is limited,

and extends but a very little way; but what is there to limit Him? Our being is derived from His command; and, therefore, depends on it still; but He is underived, and, therefore, independent absolutely. Our powers are only what He hath thought fit to give us but His power is infinite; for since everything depends on Him, nothing can resist Him. Our knowledge is every way imperfect; but He who made all things, and is present with all things, must in the completest manner know all things, even the most hidden thoughts of the heart. We are often unjust and wicked; but God cannot be otherwise than just and holy. For the only reasons of our failing to do right are, that we either perceive not what is so, or else are tempted to act contrary to our perceptions; but God is subject to no mistake, or weakness of any kind. And, which is the happiest attribute of all for His creation, He must be likewise good. For goodness is plainly a right thing; and therefore He must see it to be so it is plainly a perfection; and therefore the perfect Being must possess it in the highest degree. We should be always good ourselves, if nothing misled us: and Him nothing can mislead. But the most valuable proof is, that we experience His goodness; for we live in a world full of it. All that we enjoy, and every capacity of enjoyment that we have, proceed from Him. Most of what we suffer proceeds from our own faults and follies. And so much of it as comes wholly from His providence, is designed for our present improvement and future reward; unless by obstinate misbehaviour we become unfit for reward: and then we have only ourselves to blame. For God is knowing and wise, He cannot but observe the difference between good persons and bad; as He is just and holy, He cannot take pleasure in those who are otherwise; and as He is the Governor of the world, He cannot fail to show His displeasure in

that effectual manner which the ends of government require. And they certainly do require the bad to be punished, as well as the good to be made happy.

Such then is the nature of God: to whom in the Creed the name of Father is given, as He is both the Father of the creation by forming it, and also the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him our gracious and reconciled Father, as shall hereafter be explained. The next word, Almighty, denotes not barely His irresistible power, but principally that rightful and absolute authority, with which "His kingdom ruleth over all1." And the last words of the description, Maker of heaven and earth, are added; partly to express the ground of that authority, His being the Creator, and therefore the proprietor of the world; and partly in opposition to the errors of the heathens, who worshipped many beings in the heavens and the earth, as gods, which, in these terms of our Creed, are by evident consequence declared to be no gods, because they are the work of His hands, "of whom and through whom, and to whom, are all things"." The duties which we owe to this our awful Sovereign, will be specified in expounding the Ten Commandments, particularly the first. At present therefore I shall only beg you to remember the Apostle's exhortation: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God." Nothing but an evil heart can make unbelief desirable, or even supportable. For to every good heart it must be the greatest joy to know, that the world is governed by infinite wisdom, justice, and goodness; and it must be the greatest affliction to have any doubt of it. If therefore you find the thought of such a Governor unwelcome; if you could inwardly

1 Psalm ciii. 19.

2 Rom. xi. 36.

3 Heb. iii. 12.

wish there were none; be assured, your "heart is not right1." And though you could, with such a disposition, bring yourself, almost or completely, to imagine there is none: what possible security can shutting your eyes give you against danger; or what excuse can wilfully denying God make for disobeying Him?

But then observe further, that supposing you do not disbelieve a God at all, yet if you never think of Him, this is not, to any good purpose, believing in Him at all: and if you think of Him but seldom, it is believing in Him but little. He on whom we depend continually, to whom we owe duty continually, in whose presence we continually are, ought never to be far from our thoughts: but we should set Him before our eyes so constantly, as to live in His fear always. Doing this need not keep us from common business; it need not keep us from innocent pleasures. But it should influence us all effectually (and happy are we if it doth), to conduct ourselves in everything, as persons who act under the inspection of a wise and just Superior: whom we may indeed forget if we will, but shall be remembered by Him: from whom we may depart, but cannot escape. In our choice it is, whether we will be the better or the worse for Him. But one we must: and that beyond expression. "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil 2."

1Acts viii. 21.

2 Eccles. xii. 14.

ARTICLE II.

AND IN JESUS CHRIST HIS ONLY SON OUR LORD.

To believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, is the universal creed of nature and reason. But divine revelation adds further professions to it; of which the first is, that of faith in our ever-blessed Redeemer: whose direction was, "Ye believe in God, believe also in me 1." Therefore, that we may believe in Him as we ought, He is described in the Creed by His name and offices, His relation to God and to us.

1. His name Jesus: by which indeed many of the Jews were called: but it was given Him in obedience with an appointment from heaven, made with a peculiar regard to its proper meaning. For it signifies, a Saviour: which is a title conferred, in a lower sense, on several persons in Scripture who delivered others from considerable dangers or evils, or obtained for them considerable benefits and advantages. Thus the Judges of the Israelites, that freed them from the oppression of their enemies, are said to be Saviours, whom "God raised up 2" to them. And Joshua, who brought them out of the wilderness into the land of Canaan, subdued it, and put them in possession of it, not only was in these respects a Saviour to them; but, from a foresight, that he would act thus, was called so, as his proper name. For Joshua and Jesus are, in the original, the same word; only pronounced a little differently. And hence Joshua is constantly called Jesus in the Greek language, and even in

1John xiv. I.

2Judges iii. 9, 15; Nehem. ix. 27.

« PreviousContinue »