refufe to believe Chrift to be the Son of
God? only because they cannot comprehend
how he can be the eternal Son of God:
And, if they will be true to their Principle,
and carry. the Objection as far as it will go,
they must in time come to deny the Existence
of every thing in the World, themselves not
excepted. Since then to comprehend the
Reafon and Nature of Things, is neither
neceffary to our believing the Reality of
them, nor yet to our receiving Benefit and
Advantage from them; how comes it to be
neceffary, that in Religion there should be
nothing that we do not understand? Neceffary
it cannot be to our Salvation, for we may be
faved by Means we comprehend not; nor
yet to our Faith is it neceffary, for we may,
and do daily believe the Reality of Things
without knowing any thing of the Nature
and Reasons of them. And, if Mysteries
may
fet forward our Salvation, and are not
deftructive of our Faith, upon what other
Views they can be excluded from Religion,
I cannot conceive.

Thus much then may serve to fhew, that according to this Notion of Religion, That it contains the Means by which God is reconciled to Sinners, no Argument can be drawn to weaken the Authority of any Religion,

becaufe

1

because some Parts of it are mysterious; But, if you confider it farther, it will appear, that this Part of Religion must neceffarily be mysterious, and the Means of Reconcile ment fuch as Reafon and Nature cannot comprehend. This I partly observed to you in a former Part of this Difcourfe, and fhall therefore the more briefly touch it now. The Principles, from which this Confequence I think will follow, are thefe: That Men are Sinners: That God must be reconciled to Sinners in order to their Salvation: That Religion must contain the Words of eternal Life, or the certain Method by which we may obtain eternal Life. The Confequence of these Principles is evident, That Religion must contain the Means by which God is reconciled to Sinners; for, fince this Reconcilement is neceffary to eternal Life, Religion cannot have the Words of eternal Life without it. Now then, if there be no fuch Means of Reconcilement, which Reafon and Nature can either discover or comprehend, this Part of Religion must neceffarily be mysterious; fince what Reason cannot comprehend, is mysterious. Now, from the natural Notion we have of God and his Attributes, there arifes fuch a Difficulty in this Cafe, as Reason cannot get over :

For

For 'tis certain, according to all the natural Notions of our Mind, That it is just for God to punish Sinners: 'Tis likewise certain, That God can do nothing but what is just : If therefore he forgives Sinners, and receives them to Mercy, and remits their Punishment; 'tis then certain, That 'tis juft for God in this Circumstance not to punish Sinners. Now, Reason cannot comprehend how it should, with respect to the fame individual Sinners, be just to punish, and just not to punish them. If it be not just to punish Sinners, there wants no Reconcilement for Sinners; and, if it be not juft not to punish them, no Reconcilement can be had, for 'tis contrary to the Nature of God to do what is not juft. The fame Argument lies from all the Attributes of the Deity, which are at all concerned in the Redemption of Mankind: His Wisdom and Holinefs, and even his Mercy, are as indiscernible as his Juftice. Now try how far Reason can go towards discovering the Means of Reconcilement : Lay down first these certain and allowed Principles; That it is juft for God to punish Sinners, That God can do nothing but what is juft: And try how you can come at the other Conclufion, which must be the Foundation of a Sinner's Reconcilement to

God;

God; namely, That it is juft for God not to punish Sinners, and righteous in him to receive them to Favour. If Reafon cannot discover nor comprehend how both these Propofitions should be true at the fame time with refpect to the fame Perfons, 'tis impoffible that it should discover or comprehend the Means which God makes use of to reconcile himself to Sinners; that is, it is impoffible for God to make use of any Means that are not mysterious, that is, above the Reach and Comprehenfion of human Wisdom.

This Difficulty must for ever remain, as long as we attempt to scan the divine Justice by our narrow Conceptions of it: And this is the very Difficulty that makes many Things in the Gospel to be mysterious. The Scripture tells us, That God has been reconciled to Sinners by the Death of Chrift, - That he made Atonement for the Sins of the whole World. These are great Myfteries: We cannot fee that there is any Proportion between the Sufferings of one and the Sins of all; or, if there were, we cannot fee the Justice of laying the Sins of the Wicked upon the innocent Head. If we could fee the Reasons upon which the Justice of God proceeds in this Cafe, here would be no Mystery:

Mystery: And therefore the Mysteriousness of the whole Proceeding arifes only from hence, That our finite Minds cannot comprehend the Reasons and Limits of the divine Justice. Most certain it is, That, if God be reconciled to Sinners, Satisfaction must be made to his Juftice; for he may as well cease to be God, as to be just. Whatever Satisfaction is made, it must be founded in the Reasons of his own Juftice, that is, of Justice directed by infinite Wifdom. The Reafons of fuch Justice we cannot comprehend; and therefore we must either be faved by Means that are mysterious to us, or God muft give us infinite Wisdom to comprehend the Reason of his Justice. You fee then, that from this Notion of Religion, confidered as containing the Means by which God reconciled himself to the World, 'tis fo far from being abfurd to fuppose it in fome Parts mysterious, that it is not poffible it should be otherwise.

To redeem the World is the Work of God: He only could find the Means of Reconciliation, and he only could apply them: "Tis our Part merely to accept them, and to obey the Terms and Conditions upon which he offers them. Religion therefore, which is founded upon Redemption, must VOL. I. needs

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