34 TnE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. instances of his goodness upon them, even upon the evil and the unthankful in the midst of all their iniquities and unthankfulness. Thus have I shewn particularly what it is the light of nature teaches us concerning God. II. The second general head of discourse leads us to en- quire, what are the various usesof this knowledge of God, which is attainable by the light of nature. I answer in general, it is to bear witness for God in the world. But we must enter intopar- ticulars. 1. This knowledge of God, as our Maker and Governor, by the light of nature, is useful, " not only to shew men their duty, but to convince then of sin against the law of God, and to lay all mankind under a sense of guilt and self-condemnation." The apostle Paul begins with this doctrine in the first chapters of his epistle to the Romans, wherehis great design is to shew mankind the guilt and wretchedness of their state; for after he had intro= duced the natural knowledgeof God in the nineteenthverse ofthe first chapter, heproceeds to convince the heathen world, andparti- cularly the philosophers,oftheir heinous iniquities against God and man, and leaves them in the middle of the ii. and iii. chapters under the condemnation of their own consciences and the law of God : all have sinned, and come short of that glory of God, which they should have originally obtained by perfect righteous- ness. 2. This knowledge of Godby the light of nature, " as it is designed to awaken men to the practice of their duty ; so it has bad some influence on mankind, at least by the fear of punish- ment, to keep, preserve, and restrain part of them from the ex- tremest degrees of wickedness." This natural conscienceis th e candle of the Lord, which hehas set up in theheart of man; and though it shines but dimly, yet it has sometimes kept them from being so vile and abominable, and from running into such excess of outrage and madness, as otherwise they would have done. Therehavebeen someoutward virtues practisedamongtheGreeks and the Romans, who had a little knowledge of a superior divine power: There was some temperance, some truth, some honour, jus- tice and goodness, now and then appearingamong the multitudes of their vices: there was a secret horror within, and a forebod- ing of some divine vengeance, that withheld them now and then from the practice of villainy, especially in the extravagant de- grees of it. This natural knowledge of God amongst the hea- then nations, has been found there like a small quantity of salt, to preserve somepart of mankind in those countries from being ut- terlyover-run withcorruption and putrefaction ; andhas answer- ed some valuable purposes in the government of God among men,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=