The Exiftence of G 0 D. ~ om in a re~ge, Carmtli111 bas made :,m efrapefrom me. But no Sinner can by dying Chap. 7· efcape God's Ju£\ice, for Death it fel f takes the Condemned, and delivers them to endlcts c;;;;;;:;;;;: Torments. There are no<iegrees offear can be equal totluscaufe, the Wrath of the great ~w.fit. Suet. Creator. Is there any pleafure of Sin fo fweet, but this, if confidcred, would make it to be as Poi[<in or Gall to the ta£\e? Is any Joy fo · predominant but this would in£\antly make it die in the carnal heart? The due apprehenfion of Almiohty Anger is fufficient tofubdue the mo(\ vicious infuperable Paffions thatfo violently tratri"port to fin. ButO A£\oni!hing £\upidity! The mo£\ of Men without fear provoke the Living God, as if he were like the Idols of the Heathens, a dead £\ock or £\one, infenfible and powerlefs, fo that the Spiders made thei r Webs on the Beard of Jitpiter, and the Birds their Ne£\s in his Thunder. Where is their Reafon, where is their Self-Love, to challenge fo dreadful an Adverfary, who is able m the very act of Sin to llrike them with Death Temporal and Eternal ? Confder this ye that forget God, left he tear JO" in piecu, and there 'if none to deliver. 3· Love and Obodience in the highe(\ degree are due tO the Author of our Beings, and all things for our ufe and profit. What motion is more according the Laws of Nature than that Love fhould an[wer Love; and fo far as the one defcends in benefits the other !hould afcend in thankfulnefs? If we confider the fir(\ and fundamental ~riefit with all its circumftances, in the pure order of Nature ; that we are Mtn confiftino- of a rational Soul, and a Body admirably prepar'd for its convenient habitation, and iz1 this regard rhe mo£\.wonderful work of God; can a humane Bea£\ be fo hard and flintv as not to be foftned and made receptive of impreffions by this effeCt of his Goodnefs ? 'Is it poflible that any one !hould be of fueb a £\upid fa vage temper, fo void of all humanity, nay, of the fennments o.f ~he lower ~ature , as .not to be toucht wjth a grateful affell:ion to the Author of hiS hfe, when Ltons and T 1gers, the mo(\ unrraekable Bea£\s of the Fore£\, are by an innate principle fo tenderly inclin'd to their Dams? It unfpeakably enforces our obligation, that befide_the inherent excellencies of Nature _he made us by privliedge above all Creatures m tlus fenfibl e World, and furm!ht rt wnh mnumerable objeCts exce1lent in their beauty and variety, that are not meer remedies for neceffity but for the delight of th is prefent life. And having ta£\ed the good of Being, and the .. . fruits of his magnificent Bounty, can we be coldly affeCted to our great Benefactor? !!;,{~;~~ rj~ ~it~~~;1t~n3e~~!~e~il:: ,;~:r~~~e;x:ee~~~~!, !~m~~fneg ~;;~~~) g~:~~~~iv:~~~:::~:is ::fi ~=~;:: and render thee vifible to him. !his cannot be done by Men. But where-ever we tur~ 11;ir!. se.aec. our Thoughts, or fix our Eyes, etther on our perfons or comforts, on the prefent fiate or the future, (for he has given Eternity to our duration) we find our felves incircled with innumerable and inellimable benefits from God. Tis impoffible we !hould ever forget them without the greatefr Guilt. Every minute he renews our livesand all our cnjoyments. For the atl:ual influence 1 of hisPower.is as requlfit eo prcferve our being, as at fir(\ to produce i~ The Creature has nothmg of Its own, but a fimple nonrepugnance of coming in to act. How frozen is that hearc that is not melted in loye to · fo good a God? Let us look into the depth of our native Nothing, that we may underlland the heighth of theDivme Love, in railing us from the pure poffibility of beincr into a&, and that meerly for his Sovereign pleafure, and mo(\ free benignity. There"was noneceffitythat con£\rained him to decree the makmg theWorld, or Man in it: For 'tis a plain conrradiUion that there !hould be a fuperior Po~erto determine a Being of A"'"'' r.. infinite PerfeCtions. And for that Reafon alfo he gives all hiS Benefits without the Jeall ~~iE~i t~ ihe{f~~~~~:,n~b~~ ~~ ~:~~~nt~~\~~~~;~~f~~~~e ~i:~~~:c~=n~se~r~~ti~i;~~:t~~ '""' <Jfr• ;u,. priety of God's Natu re. Is He not then worthy of all our Thoughts, all our AffeUi- ;-:b!:~~~i~~: ons, for his mofr free and admira~le F~vours? If there b~ but a. [park of Reafon, we •"'"'""'"'" mu£\ judge that the immenfe L1berah ty of God to us, Without ref~ect to his own in- 'J::~1:;{;,/"'" terofr, is [o fur from lelfenmg, that 11 mcreafes our duty to correfpond m all pollible thankfulnefs. JJ IH•i""" · Confiderfurthtr, that whichaddsto thegreatnefs·ofthe Gifts we receive, is lithe gratioraf~?'• greatnefs of the Giver. The price of a benefit ri les in proportion to the worth of the rma:::f~f:;eri()o Perfon that beflows it. Afmall Gift from a great Hand, may be juftly preferr'd before a 1~§;:~~- ~~~~~nf~tw~~Z ~~~m~~!~c~~~~~s a~b:ti;;T~ ~~g~~st~~t~~Je~~o)i~~: ~~e ~~~~fd tanum magis a full of &>many and fa excellent Creatures for our refreiliment, that our being on Earth i~:J~~~:;e. :~~ ~~t!~!~~~ofu~~n~~~ ~dr~[fe~i~~~ ~~d j~~rfeers ~~b~;~vf~;th~~1:,n:tM;;~~~~~~~~= fo. J.l. •• art mindfol of bim, and tl>e s.n of M•n lhal lhOII vijittp hillt { Tho" n14defl hiiJI • little kw er
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