The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-21 00:00:00

THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 21, 1825

xiv. 1. yet the Deity has imprinted on the human mind so
many unquestionable tokens of himself, and so many traces of
him are apparent throughout the whole of nature, that no one
in his senses can remain igshorant of the truth. Job xii. 9.
" Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of Jehovah bath
wrought this ?" Psal. xix. 1. " The Heavens declare the glory
,of God." Acts xiv. 17. "'He left riot himself without wit-
ness." xiii„ 27, 28, " He is not far from every one of us."
Rom. i. 19, 20,." That which may be known of God is mani.
fest in them," and ii. 14, 15, " The Gentiles—show the .work
of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness." 1 Cor. i. 21, " After that in the wisdom of God, the
world by wisdom knew not sa‘xli it ple.iited God by the foolish-
ness of preaching to save them that believe." There can be
no doubt bin that every thing in the world, by the beauty of
its order, and the evidence of a determinate and beneficial pur-
pose which pervades it, testifies that some supreme effiiient
Power must have pre-existed, by which the whole was ordained
for a specific end.

There are some who pretend that nature or fate is this
supreme Power ; but the: very name of nature implies that
it must owe its birth to some prior agent, or, to speak pro-
perly, signifies in itself nothing ; but means either the essence
of a thing, or that general law which is the origin of every
thing, and under which every thing acts-Land fate can 'be
nothing !mit a divine decree emanating from some almighty
power.

Further, those who attribute.the creation of every thing •to
nature, Must necessarily associate chance with nature as a joint
divinity ; so that they gain nothing by this theory,, except
that in the place of that one God, whom they cannot tolerate,
they are obliged, however reluctantly, to substitute two sove-
reign rulers of affairs, who must almost always be in opposi-
tion to each other. In short, many ocular demonstrations,
many true predictions verified, many wonderful works have
compelled all nations to believe, either that God, or that some
evil power whose name was unknown, presided over the affairs
of the world. Now that evil should prevail over good, and be
the true- supreme power, is as unmeet as it is incredible.—
Hence it follows as a necessary consequence, that God exists.
Again :• The existence of God is further proved by that
feeling, whether we term it conscience, 'or right reason, which
even in the worst of characters is not altogether extinguished.
If there were no God, there would be no distinction between
right and wrong; the estimate of virtue and vice would entire-
ly depend on the blind opinion of men ; no one would follow
virtue, no one would be resttained from vice, by any sense of
shame, or fear of the laws, unless conscience or right reason did"
from time to time convince every one, however unwilling, of
the 'existence of God, the44ord and rider ofall things, to whom,
sooner or later; each must give an account of his own actions,
whether good or bad. •

The whole tenor of. Scripture proves the same thing: and the
disciples of the doctrine of Christ may fairly be required to give
assent to this truth in, the first instanc?, according to the ex-
pression in lleb. xi. B, " He that cometh to God, must believe
that he is." It is proved also by the dispersion of the ancient
nation of the Jews throughout the whole world, according. to
what God often forewarned them would happen on account of
their sins. Nor is it only to pay the penalty of their own guilt
that they have been reserved in their scattered state, among
the rest of the nations, ti.rough the'revolution of successive
ages, and even to the present day; but rather. to be a per-
petual and living testimony to:all people under Heaven', of the
existence of God, and of the truth of the Holy Scriptures.
No one, however; ear, have right 'thoughts of God, with na-;
ture or reason alone as his guide, indepeinknt of the word, or
message of GoiL. Rom. x. " how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard ?"

God is known, so•far as he is pleased to make us acquainted
with himself, either from his own nature, or from MS efficient

power.

When we speak of knowing God, it must betnderstoodWith
reference to the imperfect comprehension of man; for to know
God as be really is, far transcends the power of rain's thoughts,
much more of his perception. 1 Tim. vi. 16. " dwelling in the
light which' no man can approach unto." God therefOre has
made as full a revelation of himself as our mindS can Conceive,
or the weakness of our nature can bear. Exod, xxxiii. 20, 23,
" there shall no man see me, and live' - - but thou shalt see
my back parts." Tsai. vi. 1. " I saw the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifed up, and the train filled the temple."
John i. 13. " no man 'lath seen God at any time." vi. 46.
not that any man bath seen the Father, save he which is of
God, he bath seen the Father." v: 37. " ye have neither heard
his voice at any time." 1 Cur. xiii. 12. " we see through a
glass, darkly - -in part."

Our safest way is to form in our minds such a conception of
God, as shall correspond with his own delineation and represen-
tation of himself in the sacred writing& For granting that
both in the literal and figurative descriptions of God, he is
exhibited not as he really is, but in such a manner as may be-
within tl:e scope of our comprehensions, yet we ought to enter-
tain such a conception of him, as he, in -condescending to ac-
comnaodate himself to our capacities, has shown that he desires
we should conceive. For it is on this very account that he has
lowered himself to our level, leaf in our flights above the reach
of human understanding, and beyond the written word of
Scripture, we should be tempted to indulge in vague cogitation
and subtleties.

There is no need, than, that theologians should have re-
course here to what they callanthropopathy—it figure invented
by the gelmmarians to excuse the absurdities of the poets on
the subject of the heathen divinities. We may be sure that
sufficient care has been taken that the Holy Scriptures should
contain nothing unsuitable to the character or dignity of God,
and that God should say nothing of himself which could de-
rogate ftom his own majesty. it iS better therefore to contem-
plate the Deity, and to conceive Of him, not with reference to
human passions, that is, after the manner men, who are never
weary of forming subtle imaginations respecting him, but after'
the manner of Scripture, that is, after the way in which God
has offered himself to our contemplation ; nor should we think
that he would say or direct any thing to he written of himself,'
whiCh is inconsistent With the opinion he wishes -us to enter.
tain ofhis character. Let us require no better authority than
God himself for determining *hat is worthy or unworthy .of
him. lf '" it repented Jehovah' that he had made marl,"
Gen.. vi. 8, :and becuse of their gFOanings," J'udgei.
le, let us believe that it did repent ban, only .taking care