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NATURAI. RELIGION,. ITS
USES
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 knowledge
of
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'of
nature
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