By the righteous judgment of God, the heathens were deprived of that light which they abused: They knew God, but they glorified him not as God, faith St. Paul; and what was the confequence; why, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to commit all iniquity with greediness. Chriftians fhould always fear, every one for himself, left this fhould come to be his own cafe.

And indeed it is but too plain, that the generality of Chriftians forget that they have a rule of faith to direct them, what to believe of God, and of his infinite perfections; and they will find to their cost, that it will be no advantage to them, to have been diftinguished from infidels by a rule of faith which they never minded, and which had no influence upon their lives.

Let me therefore, before I conclude this part of the Creed, put you in mind of a few. truths and inferences, which I wish we may all remember, and carry home with us.

When we acknowledge God to be almighty, let us confider what a dreadful thing it must needs be to have the Almighty God for our enemy, one who can deftroy both body and foul in hell. And then, how happy will all those be, who have an all-powerful God their friend, to direct, to fupport, and to reward them! A man must have no value for his foul, whom this belief does not influence. ! Rom. i. 21, * Rom. i. 25;

Let

Let us confider further, what a dishonour we do to God, to call him our Father, and to behave ourselves like the children of Satan. Infidels will conclude from hence,-If these be the children of God, and hope for falvation from believing in him, who need despair of going to heaven? Let us rather remember, that our Almighty Father has given his children rules to live by; that they are not to follow their own will, but his, and that their happiness depends upon doing so.

When we call God our Father, let us confider, that our inheritance is in heaven. This fhould make us lefs fond of an earthly inheritance; at least, we should not think of fetting up our reft here.

If God is my Father, I have nothing to fear, while I ftrive to please him. I will truft in him, and I will go to him with the confidence of a child.

If every Christian has a right to call God his Father, then every Christian is our brother, and has a right to our love, and to our help, in his way to heaven.

We profefs to believe, that God is the creator of all things. Every one who feriously believes this, will not dare to abuse any of God's creatures, nor wantonly destroy any thing that God has made. Made indeed they were for the use of man; but whoever deftroys creatures that are neither hurtful when

they

they are living, nor useful when dead, certainly fins against his and their Maker. Let us rather glorify God in and for his

creatures.

The very religion of heaven confifts in this: Thou art worthy, fay the glorified faints in the Revelations, Thou art worthy to receive honour, and power, and glory, for thou baft created all things. And we fhall do this in the most humble manner, when we confider, that of all the creatures which God made, man alone behaved himself so ill, as to provoke God to fay, That it repented him that he had made him. My God! and shall not finful man be afraid, and bitterly repent, that ever he offended or provoked fo great a God!

We should indeed have repented of, and bewailed our loft condition to all eternity, had not Almighty God, to manifest his infinite goodness, accepted of the mediation of his beloved Son, by whom we have been reftored to the favour of God.-[But this must be the subject of another discourse.]

In the mean time, let every one of us examine himself upon this part of his Creed; and see what fruits of this faith he has to fhew. To live by faith-is to live as if we did indeed believe the things which we profefs to believe.

Well then, let me afk myself, Do these truths which I profefs to believe, do they really affect my heart? Do I truly fear the Almighty God; that is, Do I fear to offend

him? Am I not more afraid of temporal evils, than of the wrath of God? Do I really love God; that is, Do I defire and strive to please him? Do I look upon him as the fountain of all good; that is, Do I pray to him for what I want, and give him thanks for the bleffings I receive? Do I fhew that I believe his infinite wisdom, by my leaving the choice of all the bleffings I hope and pray for to him? Do I own his fatherly love and authority over me; that is, Do I fubmit to all his dealings with me without murmuring? Do I own that God fees all that I do; that is, Do I live as in his presence, not daring to do any thing that I believe will difpleafe him? Do I fhew that I am convinced of his infinite patience, and long-fuffering, by laying hold of the fent opportunity of returning to my duty?

pre

We lament the blindnefs of the heathen world which know not God: Do we truly value that light, and that word, by which we are come to the knowledge of God, and of his glorious perfections? Do we hear the word of God with attention; and do we beg of God the grace to understand it, and to incline our hearts to obferve the leffons we there learn? Why has God thus made himfelf known to us, but that we may fear and love, and adore, and praise him, and pray to him, and put our whole truft in him?

And I pray confider, Christians, what a mighty bleffing it is, that we are not left to ourselves,

ourselves, and, by our own reason, to find out God; but God has been so good as to manifeft himself unto us in his holy word; and to discover his almighty power, his wisdom, his goodness, his justice, his faithfulness, and his holiness, in his government of the world.

Confider how very thankful we should all be for the benefit of these holy fcriptures, in which every foul may come to the true knowledge of God, and the way of falvation. Where unbelievers may be convinced of the providence of God throughout all ages, by the fulfilling of innumerable prophecies;where finners will find reafons to awaken them, by feeing the power of the Almighty manifested in the punishment of the impenitent;-where the righteous may learn to depend entirely upon the protection of God, by seeing his infinite goodness towards fuch in all ages;-where all may learn to believe, and fear, and love, and worship the LORD Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

We enjoy the benefit of all the creatures, without fo much as thinking of him that made them. Which of them could we want, without being miferable? The Sun gives us light and heat; the Air, breath and life; the Earth and Seas, food; the reft of the creatures are all defigned for our ufe and benefit.

Shall we not then glorify God in his works, take notice of his providences, admire his infinite wisdom, be thankful for all his mer

cies,

1