.6 



THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



never associated in their minds, the stupendous 

 displays which have been given of these perfec 

 tions, in the works of his hands ; and that their 

 religion (if it may be so called) consists merely 

 in a farrago of abstract opinions, or in an empty 

 name. 



If, then, it be admitted, that it is essentially 

 requisite, as the foundation of religion, to have 

 the mind deeply impressed with a clear and com 

 prehensive view of the natural perfections of the 

 Deity, it will follow, that the ministers of reli 

 gion, arid all others whose province it is to com 

 municate religious instruction, ought frequently 

 to dwell, with particularity, on those proofs and 

 illustrations with tend to convey the most defi 

 nite and impressive conceptions of the glory of 

 that Being whom we profess to adore. But from 

 what sources are such illustrations to be deriv 

 ed? Is it from abstract reasonings and metaphy 

 sical distinctions and definitions, or from a survey 

 of those objects and movements which lie open 

 to the inspection of every observer? There 

 can be no difficulty in coming to a decision on 

 this point. We might affirm, with the school 

 men, that &quot; God is a Being whose centre is every 

 where, and his circumference no where ;&quot; that 

 &quot; he comprehends infinite duration in every mo 

 ment;&quot; and that&quot; infinite space may be consi 

 dered as the sensorium of the Godhead ;&quot; but such 

 fanciful illustrations, when strictly analyzed, will 

 be found to consist merely of words without 

 ideas. We might also affirm with truth, that 

 God is a Being of infinite perfection, glory, and 

 blessedness that he is without all bounds or 

 limits either actual or possible that he is possess 

 ed of power sufficient to perform all things which 

 do not imply a contradiction that he is independ 

 ent and self-sufficient that his wisdom is un 

 erring, and that he infinitely exceeds all other 

 beings. But these, and other expressions of a 

 similar kind, are mere technical terms, which 

 convey no adequate, nor even tolerable, notion 

 of what they import. Beings, constituted like 

 man, whose rational spirits are connected with 

 an organical structure, and who derive all their 

 knowledge through the medium of corporeal 

 organs, can derive their clearest and most affect 

 ing notions of the Divinity, chiefly through the 

 same medium, namely, by contemplating the 

 effects of his perfections, as displayed through 

 the ample range of the visible creation. And 

 to this source of illustration, the inspired writers 

 uniformly direct our views &quot; Lift up your eyes 

 on high, and behold ! who hath created these 

 orbs? who bringeth forth their host by number, 

 and caileth them all by their names? The ever 

 lasting God, the Lord, by the greatness of his 

 might, for that he is strong in power.&quot; &quot;~Ie 

 hath made the earth by his power ; he hath 

 established the world by his wisdom ; he hath 

 stretched out the heavens by his understanding.&quot; 

 These writers do not perplex our minds by a mul 



titude of technical terms and subtle reasoning 

 but lead us directly to the source whence our 

 most ample conceptions of Deity are to be deriv 

 ed, that, from a steady and enlightened contem 

 plation of the effects, we may learn the great 

 ness of the Cause ; and their example, in this 

 respect, ought, doubtless, to be a pattern for 

 evey religious instructer. 



SECTION II. 

 Illustrations of the Omnipotence of the DEITT. 



IN order to elucidate more distinctly what has 

 been now stated, I shall select a few illustrations 

 of some of the natural attributes of the Deity. 

 And, in the first place, I shall offer a few consi 

 derations which have a tendency to direct and to 

 amplify our conceptions of Divine Power. 



Omnipotence is that attribute of the Divine 

 Being, by which he can accomplish every thing 

 that does not imply a contradiction however far it 

 may transcend the comprehension of finite minds. 

 By his power the vast system of universal natur 

 was called from nothing into existence, and ii 

 continually supported, in all its movements, from 

 age to age. In elucidating this perfection of 

 God, we might derive some striking illustrations 

 from the records of his dispensations towards 

 man, in the early ages of the world when he 

 overwhelmed the earth with the deluge, which 

 covered the tops of the highest mountains, and 

 swept the crowded population of the ancient 

 world into a watery grave when he demolished 

 Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around 

 them, with fire from heaven when he slew all 

 the first-born of Egypt, and turned their rivers 

 into blood when he divided the Red Sea and 

 Ihe waters of Jordan before the tribes of Israel 

 when he made the earth to open its jaws and 

 swallow up Korah and all his company and 

 when he caused Mount Sinai to smoke and trem 

 ble at his presence. But these and similar events, 

 however awful, astonishing, and worthy of re 

 membrance, were only transitory exertions of 

 Divine Power, and are not calculated, and were 

 never intended, to impress the mind in so power 

 ful a manner as those displays of Omnipotence 

 which are exhibited in the ordinary movements 

 of the material universe. We have no hesita 

 tion in asserting, that, with regard to this attri 

 bute of the Divinity, there is a more grand and 

 impressive display in the works of Nature, than 

 in all the events recorded in the Sacred History. 

 Nor ought this remark to be considered as throw- 

 ing the least reflection on the fulness and suf 

 ficiency of the Scripture revelation ; for that re 

 velation, as having a special reference to a moral 

 economy, has for its object to give a more parti 

 cular display of the mvral than of the natural per* 



