N° 82. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7.

Όλως γαρ άρμονια επι μια.

ΜΑΡΚ. ΑΝΤ.

The whole together is one harmonious scheme.

IN my last paper on this subject, my readers may remember it was shown, that although revelation may apparently lie open to many objections, yet as this was a circumstance to have been expected from the analogies of God's government, and the whole constitution of nature, it never can be admitted as any ground for rejecting its authenticity as a fact.

Yet still it may be alleged, there do lie against its morality unanswered objections.

It remains, therefore, to consider of an answer to these objections in this particular view of them: and pursuing our theme of analogy, we are led to revert to the answer which has already been opposed to these objections when directed against the constitution and government of nature, and to inquire whether the same kind of answer be not ready for the same kind of objections, when pointed at the system of revealed religion.

The moral government of God is exercised in such a manner, as that, in the course of his providence, every one at length shall be treated according to his deserts; and truth and right shall finally prevail. Now Christianity is a particular scheme under this general plan of Providence, and conducive to its

completion; consisting itself also of various parts and a mysterious economy. Little need be said to show that this scheme of things is but imperfectly comprehended by us. It is expressly called the great mystery of Godliness. In short, though much of the Christian scheme is revealed to us in Scripture, yet so much more is unrevealed, that we must own that to all purposes of judging and objecting, we know as little of it as of the constitution of nature. Our ignorance, therefore, is as much an answer to our objections against the perfection of the one, as against the perfection of the other. In the Christian scheme also ends are progressively brought about by means obscure and remote; and we are as liable to mistake in regard to the adequacy of particular means to produce particular ends in this government, as in the government of

nature.

Add to this, that the Christian scheme may have been all along carried on by general laws, no less than the course of nature. Now we know but little of general laws. We know, indeed, several of the general laws of matter, and a great part of the natural conduct of living agents is reducible to general laws: but we know not what laws are those by which storms, tempests, earthquakes, famines, and pestilence, become the instruments of destruction to mankind, nor those by which innumerable things happen of the greatest influence upon the affairs of this world. These laws are so wholly unknown to us, that we call the events to which they give rise, accidental; though all reasonable men exclude any such idea as chance.

Of a character analogous to these natural phenomena, are the miracles of the Gospel. That these

should be displayed at such particular times, upon such particular occasions, in such degrees and modes; and that the affairs of the world should be permitted to proceed in their natural course so far, and should just at such a crisis have a new direction given them by miraculous interpositions; all this may have been ordained by general laws: these laws are unknown to us; but not more unknown than the laws by which it happens that some die as soon as they are born, that some live to extreme old age, that some are wiser than others. Now Christianity, supposed to be a scheme like that of nature, carried on by general laws, the like apparent deficiencies and irregularities were to be expected, by reason of our utter inability to comprehend any more than a small part of this system.

But if the intricacy and tardiness of designs and their accomplishment be complained of as unworthy of the might and majesty of God, let us remember that the whole scheme of the natural world is slow and progressive. The change of seasons, the ripening of fruits, the very history of a flower, is an instance of this; and so is human life, its happiness, its hopes, and its achievements.

If the general aspect, structure, and conduct of the Christian scheme, and the constitution of nature, be found so much alike; it will appear, on a closer examination, that they resemble each other no less in their particular features and characteristics. To begin with the most commanding and prominent of these; the mediation of Christ shall be first considered. Now the notion of a mediator between God and man is supported by the whole analogy of nature. The life of all living creatures is both given them, and preserved, by the instrumentality of others. We

find also by experience, that God does appoint mediators to be the instruments of good and evil to us, the instruments of his justice and mercies.

There is no absurdity in supposing that future punishment may follow wickedness of course, or in the way of natural consequence from God's original constitution of the world, from the nature he has given us, and from the situation in which he has placed us; in the same manner as a person rashly trifling upon a precipice, by a natural consequence falls down-in this way of natural consequence, breaks his limbsin this way of natural consequence, without help, perishes.

Thus, perhaps, may future punishment follow wickedness in the way of natural consequence, or according to some general laws of government already established in the universe. Upon this supposition, we may observe something much to the present purpose in the constitution and appointments of nature: we may observe the provision that is made, that all the bad natural consequences of men's actions should not always actually follow, but that those which, if not prevented, would naturally and inevita bly have followed, should in certain degrees be prevented. And here is both severity and indulgence in the constitution of nature. Thus all the bad consequences of a man's trifling upon a precipice, might be prevented and though all were not, yet some of them still might be, by proper interposition, if not rejected.

Persons might do a great deal themselves towards preventing the bad consequences of their follies; though the assistance of our fellow-creatures very much forwards this end; of which assistance, nature prompts us to a mutual exchange. Thus is there

on nature's works a stamp and character of compassion, a gentle principle tempering the severity of its general laws, and bending its decrees to the standard of human infirmity; for, had the consequent misery of our bad actions always followed inevitably, no one could say that such a severe constitution of things might not yet have been really good. But when we see that provision is made by nature, that we may in a great degree prevent the bad effects of our wickednesses; this must be called mercy or compassion in the original constitution of the world; compassion, as distinguished from goodness in general.

Yet although much may be done by the resolutions of repentance, yet that will not alone, and of itself, prevent the fatal consequences of our folly and wickedness. It would be in itself folly and wickedness to say, presumptuously and confidently, that repentance would be sufficient; for we do not know what are the whole natural and appointed consequences of vice; and as we are not informed of all the reasons which render it fit that future punishment should be inflicted, we cannot therefore know whether any conduct or efforts of our own could make such an alteration as to render it fit they should be remitted. If such then be our ignorance in point of fact, let us search for information in the analogy of nature. People ruin their fortunes by extravagance, they bring diseases upon themselves by excesses, they incur the penalties of civil laws: will sorrow for the past, will subsequent reformation alone, prevent all the bad consequences of such a behaviour? undoubtedly not. And since this is our case, considering ourselves merely as inhabitants of this world, and as having a temporal interest here, under the natural government of God, why is it not supposable