SERM !.J NATURAL RELIGION, ITS USES AND DEFECTS. God : " all have sinned and come short of that glory of God," which they should have originally obtained by perfect righteousness. This knowledge of God by the light of nature, " as it is designed to awaken men to the practice of their duty; so it has had some influence on mankind, at least by the fear of punishment, to keep, preserve, and re- strain part of them from the extremest degrees of wick- edness." This natural conscience is the candle of the Lord, which lie has set up in the heart of man; and though it shines but dimly, yet it has sometimes kept them from being so vile and abominable, and from run- ning into such excess of outrage and madness, as other- wise they would have done. There have been some outward virtues practised among the Greeks and the Romans, who had a little knowledge of a superior divine power. There was some temperance, some truth, some honour, justice and goodness, now and then appearing among the multitudes of their vices: there was a secret horror within, and a fóreboding of some divine venge- ance, that withheld them now and then from the practice of villainy, especially in the extravagant degrees of it. This natural knowledge of God amongst the heathen nations, has been found there like a small quantity of salt, to preserve some part of mankind in those countries from being utterly over-run with corruption and putre- faction ; and has answered some valuable purposes in the government of God among men. Where there has beennothing of this knowledge, mankind have almost lost their superior rank among the creatures, and dege- nerated into a brutal nature. 3. This natural knowledge of God and his goodness, " gives someencouragement to guilty creatures to repent of their sins, and to return to God by a general hope of acceptance, though they had no promise of pardoning grace. And this was the very principle upon which some of the better sort of the gentiles set themselves to practise virtue, to worship God and endeavour to be- come like him. I do not say that natural religion can give sinful men a full and satis- fying assurance of pardon upon their repentance ; for the deepest degrees of penitence cannot oblige a prince to forgive the criminal ; but still the overflowing goodness of God, his patience and long-suffering, notwith.
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