NATURAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE DEITY. 



15 



connected with the plan of the Gospel salvation, 

 and that they entertain so many vague and unte 

 nable notions respecting the character and the ob- 

 lects of a superintending Providence. How often, 

 for example, have we witnessed expressions of the 

 foolish and limited notions which are frequently 

 entertained respecting the operations of Omni 

 potence ? When it has been asserted that the 

 earth with all its load of continents and oceans, 

 is in rapid motion through the voids of space 

 that the sun is ten hundred thousand times larger 

 than the terraqueous globe and that millions of 

 such globes are dispersed throughout the immen 

 sity of nature some who have viewed them 

 selves as enlightened Christians, have exclaimed 

 at the impossibility of such facts, as if they were 

 beyond the limits ofDivine Power, and as if such 

 representations were intended to turn away the 

 mind from God and religion ; while, at the same 

 time, they have yielded a firm assent to all the 

 vulgar notions respecting omens, apparitions, and 

 hobgoblins, and to the supposed extraordinary 

 powers of the professors of divination and witch 

 craft. How can such persons assent, with intel 

 ligence and rational conviction, to the dictates of 

 Revelation respecting the energies of Omnipo 

 tence which will be exerted at &quot; the consummation 

 of all things,&quot; and in those arrangements which 

 are to succeed the dissolution of our sublunary 

 system ? A firm belief in the Almighty Power 

 and unsearchable wisdom of God, as displayed 

 in the constitution and movements of the material 

 world, is of the utmost importance, to confirm 

 our faith, and enliven our hopes, of such grand 

 and interesting events. 



Notwithstanding the considerations now stat 

 ed, which plainly evince the connection of the 

 natural perfections of God with the objects of 

 the Christian Revelation, it appears somewhat 

 strange, that, when certain religious instructors 

 happen to come in contact with this topic, they 

 seem as if they were beginning to tread upon 

 forbidden ground ; and, as if it were unsuitable 

 to their office as Christian teachers, to bring for 

 ward the stupendous works of the Almighty 

 to illustrate his nature and attributes. Instead 

 of expatiating on the numerous sources of illus 

 tration, of which the subject admits, till the 

 minds of their hearers are thoroughly affected 

 with a view of the essential glory of Jehovah 

 they despatch the subject with two or three 

 va^ie propositions, which, though logically true, 

 make n-j impression upon the heart; as if they 

 believed that such contemplations were suited 

 only to carnal men, and mere philosophers ; and 

 as if they were afraid, lest the sanctity of the 

 pulpit should be polluted by particular descrip 

 tions of those operations of the Deity which are 

 perceived through the medium of the corporeal 

 senses. We do not mean to insinuate, that the 

 essential attributes of God, and the illustrations 

 j( them derived from the material world, should 



form the sole, or the chief topics of discussion, 

 in the business of religious instruction but, if 

 the Scriptures frequently direct our attention to 

 these subjects if they lie at the foundation of 

 all accurate and extensive views of the Christian 

 Revelation if they be the chief subjects of con 

 templation to angels, and all other pure intelli 

 gences, in every region of the universe and if 

 they have a tendency to expand the minds of pro 

 fessed Christians, to correct their vague and er 

 roneous conceptions, and to promote their con 

 formity to the moral character of God we can 

 not find out the shadow of a reason, why such 

 topics should be almost, if not altogether, over 

 looked, in the writings and the discourses of 

 those who profess to instruct mankind in the 

 knowledge of God, and the duties of his worship. 

 We are informed by our Saviour himself, that 

 &quot; this is life eternal, to know thee ihe living and 

 true God,&quot; as well as &quot; Jesus Christ whom he 

 hath sent.&quot; The knowledge of God, in the 

 sense here intended, must include in it the know 

 ledge of the natural and essential attributes of 

 the Deity, or those properties of his nature by 

 which he is distinguished from all &quot; the idols of 

 the nations.&quot; Such are, his Self-existence, his 

 All-perfect knowledge, his Omnipresence, his 

 Infinite Wisdom, his Boundless Goodness, and 

 Almighty Power attributes, which, as we have 

 just now seen, lie at the foundation of all the 

 other characters and relations of Deity revealed 

 in the Scriptures. The acquisition of just and 

 comprehensive conceptions of these perfections, 

 must, therefore, lie at the foundation of all pro 

 found veneration of the Divine Being, and of 

 all that is valuable in religion. Destitute of 

 such conceptions, we can neither feel that habi 

 tual humility, and that reverence of the majesty 

 of Jehovah, which his essential glory is calculat 

 ed to inspire, nor pay him that tribute of adora 

 tion and gratitude which is due to his name. 

 Devoid of such views, we cannot exercise that 

 cordial acquiescence in the plan of his redemption, 

 in the arrangements of his providence, and in 

 the requirements of his law, which the Scriptures 

 enjoin. Yet, how often do we find persons who 

 pretend to speculate about the mysteries of the 

 Gospel, displaying by their flippancy of speech 

 respecting the eternal counsels of the Majesty of 

 Heaven by their dogmatical assertions respect 

 ing the Divine character, and the dispensations 

 of providence and by their pertinacious opi 

 nions respecting the laws by which God must 

 regulate his own actions that they have never 

 felt impressive emotions of the grandeur of that 

 Being, whose&quot; operations are unsearchable, and 

 his ways past finding out?&quot; Though they do not 

 call in question his immensity and power, his 

 wisdom and goodness, as so many abstract pro- 

 perties of his nature, yet the unbecoming fami 

 liarity with which they approach this august Be 

 ing, and talk about him, shows that thev have 



