12 NATURAI. RELIGION,. ITSUSES AND DEFECTS. [BERM. t. persons and such as feared God, they acknowledged the one living and true God, and worshipped him ; and they much more readily complied with the gospel of grace, and the tidings of a Saviour, than the idolaters who had these other lessons to learn first. Thus having shewn the various uses of this knowledge of God by the light of nature, I proceed in the third place to consider, what are, the defects or imperfectións of it. I. " It'is`but a ,small portion of the things of God, which the bulk of mankind can generally be supposed to .learn merely by their own reasonings." This is suffici- ently evident by the history of past times and ancient nations, as well as by present observation of the heathen world.. Though some of the philosophers particularly the followers of Plato and Pythagoras, attained some considerable knowledgeof the nature of God, and clearly saww his :eternal power and godhead, as it is expressed Iiora. i. 20. yet these were but very few in comparison of the rest of men ; the bulk of mankind, even in the learned, nations, as well as the rude and barbarous coun- tties, did actually know but little of the true God, or of their duty .towards him, or the way of obtaining future happiness. 2. The lilht'ofnature even in those things which it did teach the heathen world, is but dim and feeble, and leaves mankind under many doubts and uncertainties in matters of considerable importance. A short lesson of know -. ledge in the heathen schools was obtained with long toil and difficulty; their philosophy was rather a feeling after God in the dark, than a sight of him in clay light: so the apostle expressos himself, when he is talking to the Athenians, who were the most learned of mankind; :de's xvii. x7. , " That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might .feel after- him and .find him." What feeble words 'are these? How doubtful a knowledge. is represented by them? How wretchedly did their wise men wander astray and bewilder themselves in-their dark and blundering searches after the true God; . What end- less contests are found amongst them, whether there was a God, and what was his nature, and what was his will, and what was their duty? Into what gross mistakes and sl:tmeful falsehoods did they plunge themselves, for
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