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SERI.
I.)
NATURAL
RELIGION,
ITS
USES AND
DEFECTS.
15
Thus
I
have
,finished
the three general heads
of
my
discourse.
I
have
shewrl
you as fully as such
a narrow
space
of
time would
permit,
that there
is
some knowledge
of
God to be attained
by
the light
of
nature,
that
this
knowledge.is'.made subservient to
some
valuable pur-
poses
in
the providence
And
government,
of
God
;
but
that
it
hath
such a variety
of
imperfections and
defects,
that
considered
in itself,
it
gives
but
feeble influences
to
repentance and
hòliness,
and
very
doubtful and uncom-
fortable ground
for
a sure and
satisfying hope to
rest
upon.
I
proceed
to
make
a
few
reflections
on
this
discourse.
Reflection I.
Since
the
rational
knowledge
of
God
and natural religion
has its
proper
uses,
and especially
to
lay
a foundation
for
our
receiving the
gospel
of
Christ,
let
it
not
be
despised or
abandoned
by
any
of
us.
There
may
be some,
necessary occasions
for
our
recourse
to
it
in
a
day
of
temptation,
when
our faith of the
gospel may
be
tried
and
shaken.
The
gospel with all its glories
is
built upon it as
a
solid
foundation;
and
if
these
foun-
the gospel points
us
to the
"
Lamb
of
God
that
taketh
away
the
sins
of
the
world,
"
-
and
assures,
us
that
"
If
we confess
our
sins;
God
is
faithful
2nd
just
to
forgive
us
our
sins,
and the blood of
Jesus
Christ,
his
Son,
rleanseth
us from
all
unrighteousness ;"
John
i. 29.
and
1
John
i.
7,
9.
The light of nature
points
us to no
effectual
Mediator, or Advocate
in
heaven;
but the
gospel leads us to Jesus,
the righteous,
as
our Advocate
with the
Father,
and by
pardoning grace, encourages
us
to
love
and obey
a
reconciled
God
;
1
John
ii:
1,
2.
The light of
nature, and our daily experience, ,discover to
us
our
weak-
ness to
subdue
sin
within us,
to
restrain our unruly
appetites,
to
mortify
our corrupt
affections,
to
resist the
daily temptations
that
surround
us
;
but
it
points us
not
to
the Fountain of Strength, even the promised aids
of the
Holy Spirit
:
these are
the peculiar
glories
and blessings
of the
gospel
of
Christ,
which
the light of nature could never reveal.
The light
of nature and continual observation shew
us,
that
we
must
die, but
give
us no
clear and certain evidence of happiness after
death.
for such sinful
creatures
as
we
are,
even in
the midst of
our
repentances
for
since our
daily
sins
and
offences
are
so
numerous,
and the
best
of our
righteousnesses
and
duties are
so
very defective,
the man of virtue and
penitence might
hope indeed
to escape
punishment
;
but
he
might
well
doubt
of
any
future happiness,
notwithstanding
all
the comfort the
light
of
nature
could
give him,
or all
the
discoveries it could make.
But the
gospel
sets
these
future-glories
in a
divine and certain light
before every
man,
who
reads or hears
it.
It
encourages
us to
repentance
of
sin, to
di-
ligence, patience, and perseverance,
in
the
ways
of faith and
holiness,
by
the joys unspeakable, which
are
set
before us, and builds our hope
of
eternal
life on
the
well-
attested
promises of
a
God,
who
cannot lie, and the
lien
of God
who has
power given him to
perform them
all.