foolish, because the whole purpose, for which such reasoning is adopted, is to enable us to continue peacefully in sin; a miserable character, and plainly exposed alway to a miserable end?

How fatal is such reasoning, because it will actually induce us to continue peacefully in sin, and prevent us from repentance and salvation?

Who form, and

such, as wickWhat kind of What

On what is it grounded? On mere wishes. indulge them? Wicked men only. Can God be ed men wish him to be? Can they suppose it? a ruler do wicked men wish to have rule? A vile one. God do wicked men wish to have rule the universe? A vile one. Why? Because such a God only can be supposed to favour them. No good man, no Angel, ever regretted, that God was just. It is impossible, that a virtuous being should not rejoice in the justice of God. The instinctive voice of all the virtuous universe is the voice of Angels, and of the Spirits of Just Men made perfect, in the heavens, crying, Alleluia! Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, be unto the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his Judgments. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints!

SERMON XI.

THE TRUTH OF GOD.

IN

PSALM CXVii. 2.

And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.

my last discourse, I considered briefly the Justice of God. I shall now proceed to make some observations concerning His Truth, which in the text is asserted to be an eternal, and therefore an inseparable, attribute of Jehovah.

As a prelude to these observations, it will be useful to take a concise notice of the several significations of this term. The word, Truth, denotes,

1st. A Proposition, conformed to the real state of things. Thus St. Paul says, I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not. Rom. ix. 1.

2dly. All such propositions, generally considered. Thus Pilate asked Christ, What is truth? John xviii. 38. 3dly. That collection of such propositions, which is contained in the Gospel, and is commonly called Evangelical truth:

Thus says our Saviour, The Spirit of truth shall guide you into all THE TRUTH. John xvi. 13. Thus also St. Paul observes, Love rejoiceth in THE TRUTH. 1 Cor. xiii. 8. In both these instances, the Truth mentioned is Evangelical Truth.

4thly. Reality, in opposition to that, which is fancied, or vi sionary.

Thus the True God denotes the real God, in opposition to the imaginary gods of the Heathen.

5thly. The Substance, in opposition to types.

1

Thus Christ calls himself the Truth; as being the great Antitype of all the types in the Old Testament.

6thly. Veracity, that is, a disposition always to declare Truth, or to speak according to the real state of things.

7thly. Faithfulness, that is, a disposition always to fulfil covenants, trusts, and promises.

In these two last senses, I shall consider the Truth of God as declared in the text. Veracity and Faithfulness are attributes so nearly allied, as to be considered together, with great advantage. The former is speaking, and, as the case may be, acting, according to a state of things, seen, or supposed, to exist. The latter is declaring a future state of our own conduct, and afterwards acting so, that that conduct shall be conformed to the declaration. No moral attributes are more perfectly of a kindred nature; nor can we conceive of him, who possesses one of them, as in any less degree possessed of the other. There is no reason, therefore, for making them separate subjects of examination in this series of discourses.

It will be obvious to those who hear me, that, as the works of Creation and Providence, consisting of beings and events merely, furnish us with no declarations made by God; and, as every such declaration must in its nature be a revelation; so in these' works there can be no proper specimen of his Truth, or Faithfulness. To every direct display of these attributes, declarations are indispensably necessary. The only way, in which the works of God exhibit, by themselves, any manifestation of these attributes, seems to be this. In the regular succession of causes and effects, a state of things is formed, and continued, on which we usually, and safely, rely; and, so far as this is concerned, enter upon our various kinds of business with security from disappointment. This state of things may be justly considered as manifesting a disposition on the part of Him, by whom it is established, not to deceive his creatures; but to exhibit to them that conduct, on which they may place a safe reliance. Thus we confide in the regular succession of seasons; the return of day and night; the productiveness of the earth; the efficacy of rain and sunshine; and, generally, in the nature, qualities, and effects, of the various things, by which we are surrounded.

But, notwithstanding this want of declarations in Creation and Providence, the proofs, by which the Truth of God is capable of being evinced by Reason, independently of Revelation, are, I think, satisfactory and sufficient.

I. The Truth of God, (by which I intend throughout this discourse both his Veracity and Faithfulness,) is completely evident from his Benevolence.

In a preceding discourse, I flatter myself, I have proved the Benevolence of God from the light of nature. From this attribute, his truth is easily, and unanswerably, inferred. The happiness of Intelligent beings is derived in a great measure from society; nor is it possible, that they should be equally happy in the solitary, as in the social, state. But no society can exist without confidence; and no confidence without Truth. Truth, therefore, is the basis, on which society rests. Even thieves and robbers are obliged to speak Truth to each other, in order to maintain their own dreadful society.

Confidence, also, is one of the most important ingredients of happiness; so important, that no rational being can be happy without it. But without Truth, this happiness can never be enjoyed. On the contrary, distrust would create in the mind a dreadful state of suspense; another name for misery. All enjoyments would be seen to hang in doubt before the eyes; and safety and quiet could never be attained.

Again, Falsehood, as an attribute, renders a moral character supremely debased and despicable. So far as we are able to judge from our experience, fixed, absolute falsehood in any mind infers absolute depravity. No vice in man is probably so universally, and perfectly, despised, as deceit. But such depravity is utterly inconsistent with any happiness whatever.

All these evils would attend the want of Truth in Rational creatures. A general character of deceit in them would utterly destroy, or prevent, the whole of their happiness. But a deceitful character in the Creator would far more effectually destroy it. On His character, all their happiness is ultimately founded; and, were He capable of deceiving them, would be destroyed. The very sense, in them, of such depravity in Him would also completely prevent them from being happy. If, then, He wishes