It is natural for the inquifitive mind, when it is neceffarily led thus far, to enquire, How came God to exist? Or, what is the cause of his existence? If he be the firft cause, he must be the cause of his own existence, which implies a contradiction, or he muft exift without any cause, and without beginning, which is perfectly in-conceivable; and we may as well fuppofe the world exists without a caufe, and go no farther back for a cause; and then we find no evidence of the existence of God.

Answer, The first cause of all things we behold, must certainly exift without beginning, and so without any cause, that is antecedent to his exiftence, or that is without himfelf. Yet there may be a reafon or cause of his exiftence within himself, viz. The neceffity of his existence, fo that he exifts neceffarily, there being no other poffible way or fuppofition, or it being infinitely impoffible it fhould be otherwife; univerfal non existence, being the greatest contradiction in nature.

If it fhould be faid, This runs all into darkness; for we can no more conceive of God's exifting neceffarily, and without beginning to exift, than we can of the world's exifling without a caufe; and therefore gives no relief to the mind: An eafy, and it is hoped, a fatisfactory anfwer, is at hand. It is a plain contradiction to fay, that the world and all things in it exift without a caufe, or a reason why they exift, rather than not: But neceffary exiftence, and exiftence without beginning, implies no contradiction or impoffibility. It is granted, that each of them is to us incomprehenfible; but this is fo far from being any argument against the truth and reality of them, that it is rather an evidence in favour of them; for if there be a God, he must be incomprehenfible, as he is an infinite being, and exists in a manner infinitely above us ; therefore must be infinitely above and beyond the comprehenfion of finite minds. It is very unreasonable to object that against the being of a God, which certainly must be true if God exifts. II. The

II. The being of God is evident from the manner of our own existence, and of all things vifible, viz. the design, contrivance and wisdom that appear in them. It would fill volumes fully to illuftrate this argument from the works of creation and providence, as this defign and wildom appear in them all; and the more particularly they are confidered, the more clear the wildom appears and fhines. Volumes have been written on the subject, and many more might be written, and yet the fubject not be exhaufted. But it is not confiftent with the defign of this work, to enter particularly into this fubject. Every one must have obferved fo much of this, as to fee the propriety and force of this argument, at firft view, unless he be very criminally inattentive. The innumerable creatures and things which come under our obfervation, appear to be contrived and formed to anfwer fome end; and the numerous ranks of different animals are all furnished with provision for their own fupport and defence, and have members and organs fuited to their fituation, and to obtain, receive and use what is necessary for the fupport of their lives, &c. If we attend only to our own bodies, we fhall find them fo admirably contrived, and fo curiously formed; and though of fo many parts, each one is fuited to the reft, and all fo contrived as to form one harmonious system of animal life, without any defect or any thing superfluous: Is it poffible, if we make any. proper use of our reason, that we should find ourselves inhabiting fuch bodies, without difcerning the contriv ance and wisdom of our make, and feeing and acknowledging the hand and fkill of the wife author of this frame, fo curious in all its parts and movements? As well may we behold a moft beautiful well contrived palace, furnifhed with every thing convenient and comfortable to dwell in, having nothing useless, nothing wanting; and not have one thought of a wife skillful architect, who contrived and built it; or imagine this building might exift

without

without the exertion of any defign or wifdom and have no author and maker.

Surely we cannot furvey ourselves and the world in which we are, and fee the defign and contrivance apparently running through the whole, and not be convinced that there must be a wife contriver and author who has made them. Not to think of and acknowledge this, is to be more like beafts, than rational creatures, The language of the Pfalmift is moft rational and natural, when contemplating the works of creation and providence. "O Lord how manifold are thy works! in wif dom haft thou made them all."

III. THE being of God is made evident by the holy fcriptures. Not merely by being there abundantly afferted; but by the existence of fuch a book as the Bible. It is as much impoffible there fhould be fuch a book, were there no God, as that there fhould be fuch a world as we fee, without an invifible caufe. For it is as much beyond the power and fkill of man, or any number of men, to form fuch a book as it is to make the world. It is impoffible that fuch a number of men, who lived in ages at fuch a distance from each other, fhould write fo much, and not con tradict themselves, nor each other; but agree and harmonize in every thing, were there no invisible, uner ring omnifcient being to direct and guide them: As im poffible as it was that every stone and piece of timber it Solomon's temple, fhould come together, and be exactly fitted to its place, fo as to make one complete, harmoni ous building, without any defign, or contrivance; bu by mere accident or chance. The character of God there given, is far above and befide the thought of man and could no more be drawn by man, were there no fuck God, than the world can be made by him. And the law of God there given, and at last summed up and compre hended in one fentence, "Thou shalt love the Lord wit

all

all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyfelf," could no more be thought of and contrived by man, than the heavens and the earth could be planned and produced by him. The series of miracles wrought by those who faid there was a God, and that Jehovah was the only true God; that he fpake to them, and they did thefe wonders in his name, and by his power, are a ftanding proof of the existence of God.

But above all, the predictions contained in the Bible, with their exact and certain accomplishment, is a ftriking proof and demonftration of the exiftence of an omnifci ent omnipotent Being. For it is as much beyond the art and power of men to foretell fo many thousand events, fo that they fhall precifely anfwer the prediction; as if is for him to make the fun, moon and stars.

All these have been urged as proofs of the divinity of the feriptures, and they are equal proofs of the being of God. Therefore, though invifible things of God are clearly seen in the works of creation and providence, eveni his eternal power and godhead; fo that all the nations who have not the Bible are left without excufe, which if they do not believe in, love and worship the true God; yet they who enjoy this book have more clear evidence of the being of God, as well as unfpeakably greater advantages to know his true character; and confequently are far more inexcufeable than the heathen, if they do not believe.

Upon the evidence of the existence of God, two things may be obferved.

1. Though this be as evident a truth as any whatfoever, and men may have a full rational conviction of it, while their hearts are oppofite to it, and receive no impreffions anfwerable to this truth, and the whole fyftem of their affections and exercises of heart, are just as if this were not true, or directly contrary to it; yet do really

fay

fay in their hearts, there is no God. Therefore we find this afferted in the fcriptures, "The fool, (that is, the wicked man whofe heart is wholly corrupt, as it is.. there explained) fays in his heart there is no God." Hence it is, that this conviction and profeffion, that there is a God, in multitudes of inftances, has little or no effect on the heart and practice; but while they profess to know there is a God, in their hearts, and in their works they deny him. In this cafe, the heart governs the man, and forms his true moral character, and not his fpeculative conviction and judgment, which is fo weak and ineffectual that it flies, or vanishes, into nothing, before the ftrong fixed propenfities of the ungodly heart, as a bubble is blown away by the strong blast of a furious wind.

2. Where the heart is upright and honest, and men have a proper tafte and relifh for moral truth, the evidence of the being of God is difcerned in a true light. The being and true character of God, appear to be a pleafing reality; they have a genuine and powerful impreffion on the heart, and its leading affe&ions and exercifes are answerable to the truth. Therefore the scriptures represent such only, as knowing God and believing in him; and others are spoken of as not knowing God, and faying in their hearts there is no God, and in their works denying him. The latter are in darkness, and walk in darkness which blindeth their eyes. The God of this world hath blinded their minds, fo that they believe not, and the light of the glorious Gospel of Chrift, who is the image of God, doth not shine unto them. But the light shines into the hearts of the former, and gives them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift. For where the being of God is truly difcerned, his whole revealed character, or his glory, is in fome good measure seen; and they who have not difcerning and relifh of this glory, which is true of all wicked men, have not that belief of the being of God