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fequences. The increafing multitudes of the lewd and drunken do not, in any infance, occafion lewdness and drunkennefs to have more favourable circumftances attending them, either with respect to the perfons, or the pofterity of the guilty and if God be, in no inftance, more favourable to the vicious in this world, because of their numbers; we have hence too fad a proof that they have not the leaft ground to expect he should be fo in the next.

1. We afcribe goodnefs to God as a perfection; but nothing can be a perfection in him, which has, morally speaking, a neceflary tendency to make his creatures lefs perfectlefs careful to answer the ends of their creation; and this the divine goodness would certainly do, if it were indeed fuch as allowed us nothing to fear, tho' we neglected to ufe rightly the abilities and opportunities afforded us

2. As God is the Governor of the world

being; we muft, therefore, comfider his goodnefs, as that of a governor, or as confiftent with, and agreeable to, a wife government: but can this be faid of his goodness, if it exempt from all punishment our wilful and continued difobedience to his laws, and thereby encourage us to difobey them?

3. One attribute or perfection of the Deity cannot clash with another: his goodnefs, for inftance, with his juftice: but the punishment of evil is as much a part of juftice, as the rewarding of good. To treat evil, as if it were not evil, can neither be agreeable to justice or truth; and this would be the cafe evil would be regarded as if it were not evil, did the goodness of God fo favour the wilful of fender, that his crimes would never receive their defert.

Thirdly, What we call great numbers, are, probably in refpect of the whole creation of rational beings, extremely few; perhaps no more than fome few grains of fand, in comparison of thofe amazing heaps that fpread the defarts of the earth, and fhores of the ocean. Suppofing, therefore, all offenders among the human kind, puis acknowledged fo by all who own his nished by God according to their deferts; that punishment might be making examples of a very fmall, of the very fmaileft part of his creatures, for the good of the reft for proferving innumerable millions an infinite race in their due obedience. Fourthly, An established order taking place in all the works of God that we are acquainted with; every thing in the natural world being fubjected to certain laws; and in the moral world, good having ftill a tendency to produce good, nor ever failing to do it, unless from fome accidental hindrances; and evil, when things are in their proper courfe, producing evil; we have very strong reafon to believe, that an unchangeable God-he whofe wifdom uniformly displays itself-has fixed things thus, that thus they will proceed to all eternity; good following from good, evil from evil; with this difference alone, with respect to us, in another ftate, that all hindrances of the natural confequences of things will there be removed nothing will prevent the virtuous man's reaping the fruits of his virtue, nor will any thing hinder the whole of the difmal effects of vice from being felt by them, who have here allowed themfelves in it. And, if this be the cafe, than which nothing is more probable, it is then quite clear, that all the hopes of the guilty from their numbers must be utterly vain-that it would be full as reasonable to think a plague could not be a dangerous distemper, because it is fo infectious an one; as to think that we fhall be fafe amidst our crimes, becaufe of the multitude that share them.

With regard to the goodness of God,

4. To reftrain evil, to obftru& its pregrefs, must be the care of a good Governor, nay would be the fureft proof of his goodness. To punish, therefore, fuch as act contrary to the law of their nature

contrary to the well-being of fociety, and therein contrary to their own and the common happiness, is not only a part of juftice, but even of goodness itself. We could not confider God as good, had he not properly guarded against his creatures corrupting themfelves, and against that corruption extending itfelf: and what are the difcouragements to this, but in the way of punishment-but by the fufferings the guilty have to fear? The more there are who act in defiance of these fufferings, the more necefiary it becomes to inflict them; and offenders can have no

reafon

reafon to think that the mercy of God will fpare them, when the greatest mercy is Thewn in obviating the mifchief of fuch examples, by treating them according to what they have deserved.

Let us behold the goodness of God in this light, and this is that in which we ought to fee it-this is its true reprefentations and thus feen, it cannot but convince us how impoffible it is that we fhould have any thing to hope after a life unprofitably, vainly spent-how much fuch a life has neceffarily to fear.

Dean Bolton.

CATECHETICAL LECTURES.

of giving a new nanre, upon adopting a new member into a family. We find it common among the Greek, the Romans, and the Jews; nay, we read that even God himfelf, when he received Abram into covenant, giving an early sanction to this ufage, changed his name to Abraham. In imitation of this common practice, the old chriftians gave baptifmal names to their children, which were intended to point out their heavenly adoption, as their furnames diftinguished their temporal alliance.

From confidering the ufe of fponfors, and of the name in baptifm, we proceed next to the vow itself, which is thus expreffed. My godfathers did promife

three things in my name: ft, That I "fhould renounce the devil, and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the finful lufts of the flesh. 2dly, That I fhould believe all the articles of the chriftian faith; and 3dly, That I fhould keep God's holy "will, and commandments, and walk in "the fame all the days of my life.”

151. Introduction to the Catechism. The Catechifm begins with a recital of our baptifmal vow, as a kind of preface" to the whole. It then lays down the great chriftian principle of faith; and leaving all mysterious inquiries, in which this fubject is involved, it paffes on to the rules of practice. Having briefly recited thefe, it concludes with a fimple, and very intelli gible explanation of baptifm, and the Lord's Supper.

First then, we promife to" renounce "the devil, and all his works, the pomps "and vanities of this wicked world, and The catechifm then begins very pro"all the finful lufts of the flesh." "The perly, with a recital of our baptifmal vow," devil, the world, and the flesh," is a as the beft preface to that belief, and thofe comprehenfive mode of expreffing every rules of practice, in which that vow en- fpecies of fin, however diftinguished; and gaged us. But before we examine the from whatever fource derived: all which vow itself, two appendages of it require we not only engage to renounce as far as explanation the use of sponsors and the we are able; but also to take pains in addition of a name. tracing the labyrinths of our own hearts and in removing the gloffes of felf-deceit. Without this, all renunciation of fin is pretence.

With regard to the fponfor, the church probably imitates the appointment of the legal guardian, making the best provifion it can for the pious, education of orphans, and deferted children. The temporal and the fpiritual guardian may equally betray their truft: both are culpable: both accountable but furely the latter breaks the more facred engagement.

As to promifing and vowing in the name of another (which feems to carry fo harfh a found) the fponfor only engages for the child, as any one would engage for another, in a matter which is manifeftly for his advantage: and on a fuppofition, that the child hereafter will fee it to be fo that is, he promises, as he takes it for granted, the child itfelf would have pro mifed, if it had been able.

With regard to the name, it is no part of the facrament; nor pretends to fcriptural authority. It refts merely on ancient ufage. A cuftom had generally obtained,

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Being thus injoined to renounce our grofs, habitual fins, and those bad inclinations, which lead us into them; we are required next to "believe all the articles

of the chriftian faith." This is a natutural progreffion. When we are thoroughly convinced of the malignity of fin, we in courfe wish to avoid the ill confequences of it; and are prepared to give a fair hearing to the evidence of religion. There is a clofe connection between vice and infidelity. They mutually fupport each other. The fame connection fubfifts between a well-difpofed mind, and the 'truth's of religion and faith perhaps is not fo involuntary an act, as many of our modern philofophers would perfuade.us.

:

After" believing the articles of the chriftian faith," we are laftly injoined to "keep God's holy will and command"ments."

"ments." Here too is the fame natural progreffion. As the renunciation of fin prepares the way for faith, fo does faith, lead directly to obedience. They seem related to each other, as the mean and the end. "The end of the commandment," faith the apostle," is charity, out of a pure "heart, and good confcience, and faith, unfeigned." Faith (which is the act of believing upon rational evidence) is the great fountain, from which all chriftian virtues fpring. No man will obey a law, till he hath informed himself whether it be properly authorized: or, in other words, till he believe in the jurifdiction that enacted it. If our faith in Chrift doth not lead us to obey him; it is what the fcriptures call a dead faith, in oppofition to a faving one.

To this infeparable connection between faith and obedience, St. Paul's doctrine may be objected, where he feems to lay the whole stress on faith, in oppofition to works*.-But it is plain, that St. Paul's argument requires him to mean by faith, the whole fyftem of the chriftian religion (which is indeed the meaning of the word in many other parts of fcripture); and by works, which he fets in oppofition to it, the moral law. So that in fact, the apoftle's argument relates not to the prefent question; but tends only to eftablish the fuperiority of chriftianity. The moral law, argues the apoftle, which claimed on the righteoufnefs of works, makes no previfion for the deficiencies of man. Christianity alone, by opening a door of mercy, gave him hopes of that falvation, which the other could not pretend to give.

Upon renouncing fin, believing the articles of the chriftian faith, and keeping God's holy commandments, as far as finful man can keep them, we are entitled by promise to all the privileges of the gofpel. We become members of Christ, children "of God, and inheritors of the kingdom "of heaven." We are redeemed through the merits of Chrift; pardoned through the mercies of God; and rewarded with a bleffed immortality.

This account of our baptifmal vow concludes with a question, leading us to acknowledge the neceffity of obferving this vow; and to declare our belief, that our only hope of keeping it refts upon the affistance of God. Gilpin.

§ 152. On the Creed-the Belief of God.

The creed begins with a profeffion of our belief in "God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.”

The being of a God is one of those truths, which fcarce require proof. A proof feems rather an injury, as it fuppofes doubt. However, as young minds, though not fceptical, are uninformed, it may not be improper to felect out of the variety of arguments, which evince this great truth, two or three of the most fimple.

The existence of a Deity, we prove from the light of nature. For his attributes, at least in any perfection, we must look into fcripture.

A few plain and fimple arguments drawn from the creation of the worldthe prefervation of it-and the general confent of mankind, ftrike us with more conviction, than all the subtilties of metaphyfical deduction.

We prove the being of a God first from the creation of the world.

The world must have been produced either by defign, or by chance. No other mode of origin can be fuppofed. Let us fee then with which of these characters it is impreffed.

The characteristic of the works of defign, is a relation of parts, in order to produce an end-The characteristic of the works of chance is just the reverse.When we fee ftones, anfwering each other, laid in the form of a regular building, we immediately fay, they were put together by defign: but when we fee them thrown about in a diforderly heap, we fay as confidently, they have been thrown fo by chance.

Now, in the world, and all its appendages, there is plainly this appearance of defign. One part relates to another; and the whole together produces an end. The fun, for inftance, is connected with the earth, by warming it into a proper heat, for the production of its fruits; and furnifhing it with rain and dew. The earth again is connected with all the vegetables which it produces, by providing them with proper foils, and juices for their nourishment. Thefe again are connected with animals, by fupplying them with food. And the whole together produces the great

*See Rom. iii, 28. and indeed great part of the epistle.

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the indication of God's favour, yet good $153. On the Creed continued—the Belief