These things the patriarch indeed could not understand, unless they were revealed to him: for the likeness of two objects cannot be decerned, till both appear. Perhaps he was told the intent, and thus saw the day of Christ and was glad*. How gracious an ending of so terrifying a dispensation! But however that were, we now may justly conclude, that what he then required Abraham to do for him, he had purposed from eternity, in the counsel of unfearchable wisdom, to do for his loft creatures. And, let the comforting reflection dwell with you, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall be not with him alfo freely give us all things • John viš. 56. ↑ Rom. viii. 32. 0002 SER. SERMON LXXXII. THE PRESUMPTION OF PRYING INTO RELIGIOUS MYSTERIES. DEUT. XXIX. 29. The fecret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things, which are revealed, belong unto us and to our children for ever; that we may do all the words of this law. IT T is one material confideration, amongst many, in favour of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, that they preferve throughout fo due a medium in the discoveries, which they make, of divine truths, as to direct the faith and practice of men without indulging their curiofity. The writings of enthu fiafts would of courfe have been overrun with myfteries: and ⚫ much fuller of explanations, that would make them ftill more obfcure, than of the plain doctrines of piety and morals. Impoftors would never have neglected to recommend themselves by doing us fo fingular a pleasure, as that of letting us into all the arcana of heaven. Both would have entertained us, as they very fafely might, with long and aftonishing accounts of the effence of God, the orders and employments of invifible beings, of the counfels of providence in the government both of them and us, of the particulars in which the future happinefs and mifery of man will confit. Now on the contrary, of thefe matters holy writ gives no other than brief, imperfect, general notices and thofe merely in fubfervience to the far lefs agreeable fubjects, of our duties to God, each other, and .ourselves. Thus it delivers predictions of future events: not for the vain amusement of the inquisitive: but partly for direction, warning, or encouragement to particular nations and ages: partly to eftablish the truth of revelation, in all nations and agesy ages, by their accomplishment. It contains alfo fupernatural doctrines but fuch only, as make the ground-work, more or lefs, of our obligations, or our hopes. Thefe it was evidently requifite for us to know and accordingly they are notified to us but without any art used to render the ftrangest of them plausible, or any care taken to gratify us with full information about them, or to fhew us why it is withheld. The articles of belief are laid down with the utmoft fimplicity: our affent to them is required on the teftimony of God: and when once we have been told enough to regulate our practice, we are only told farther, that faith without works is dead*, A grievous disappointment to our wishes undoubtedly but ftill our reafon muft allow, that this is the proper conduct of the Lord of all to his creatures: and we find it to be his perpetual conduct from the beginning of the Bible to the end. What our correfponding duty is, we are taught in feveral places; but no where fo diftinctly and fully, as in the text: which conveys as neceffary inftruction, to this day, as it did originally, though relating in part to different points. And happy would men always have been made, and happy might they become yet, by the obfervance of its rules. Thefe are, : I. That we should never pry into matters, which infinite wisdom hath concealed. For the fecret things belong unto the Lord our God. II. That we should receive with attentive humility whatever it communicates. For thofe things, which are revealed, belong to us and to our children for ever. III. That we fhould allow every divine truth its due influence on our behaviour. For we are to learn them, that we may do all the words of this law. Thefe are the maxims, which ought to be eftablished in our minds, before we examine into any particular doctrine and the previous thought, how particular doctrines will be affected by them, ought to be avoided, as far as is poffible. They fhould be explained without partiality, embraced without jealoufy, and their genuine confequences admitted, whatever they may prove to be. 1. That James ii. 20. I. That we should never pry into matters, which infinite wisdom hath concealed. For we shall feldom, if at all, be wifer for fuch inquiries: we shall never be happier or better: and we shall ufually be more wretched, and lefs innocent. In what reafon or experience difcovers to us, farther fpeculations or trials may produce new difcoveries. But of articles depending on mere revelation, as we could have difcerned nothing without it, we shall be able to difcern very little, of any thing, beyond it. In the shortest and feemingly most obvious confequences, drawn concerning fubjects, that lie naturally out of our reach, we must be exceedingly, liable to mistakes: and venturing far into the dark, is the fure way to stumble. Another ftate may probably withdraw the veil, and acquaint us clearly and familiarly with what now perplexes our reafonings, and wearies our conjectures. Let us wait then contentedly for the time, which of neceflity we muft wait for: and apply to ourselves the comfort, which our Saviour gave St. Peter on a different occafion, what I do thou knoweft not now; but thou shalt know hereafter*. Yet even then, truths will remain, the full comprehenfion of which muft for ever be impoffible, not only to us, but to the highest creatures of that almighty being, one of whofe diftinctions, inculcated in fcripture, is, God only wifet. His nature and attributes being unlimited, his works and providence reaching through immenfity and eternity, the greatest advances of finite beings, must be infinitely distant from a complete understanding of them. Canft thos by fearching find out God? Canft thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as, heaven: what canft thou do? deeper than hell; what canft thou know? the measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the fea‡. But could inquiry add more to our knowledge than it can : would it increase our happiness? We meet with difficulties, and fhould be glad of folutions: we enter a little way into a subject; see that vaftly more lies behind, and earnestly long to be mafters of it. But if we were fo, are we at all fure, whether fresh doubts and questions, more embarraffing perhaps than the prefent, might not immediately arife from thence? We find it fo in the vifible world, where we had lefs ground John xiii. 7. Rom. xvi. 27, 1 Tim. i. 17. Jude 25. to to expect it. New facts are daily obferved, new properties of bodies difcovered, new deductions made from them: and what is the confequence? Why, that the scheme of things appears deeper and lefs fathomable, for every step we take in hopes of getting to the bottom of it. In all likelihood therefore the fame is the cafe of the spiritual world too: and, by knowing more of it, we should be farther from being fatisfied than ever, if our fatisfaction depends on knowing all. The fyftem of religion is fully taught us by common reason, and the plain parts of fcripture. The defence of it is conducted most prudently by owning our ignorance where we are ignorant, which gives no advantages; whereas affectation of the contrary gives many. The practice of it confifts, not in filling our heads with unneceffary fpeculations, but applying our hearts to neceffary duties. The rewards of it are annexed to believing and doing what is required of us: and how can we be the better then for aiming at more? Indeed we shall scarcely avoid being much the worse. By engaging in matters, of which we are unqualified to judge, we shall be in danger of judging materially wrong; either mistaking the nature, or even denying the truth of religion, like those of old, who profeffing themselves to be wife, became fools*. And the errors, into which we may thus fall, will be the lefs excufable, as they will proceed from our own rashness. Befides, the more intent perfons are on pursuing their theories, the lefs time, and usually the lefs concern, they will have for performing their obligations: excepting, it may be, fome fanciful ones, which they have built on their imagined difcoveries: refembling those worshippers of angels, whom St. Paul charges with intruding into things, which they had not feen, being vainly puffed up by their fleshly mindst. Superfluous inquifitiveness is indeed fometimes accompanied with exceffive diffidence: and then, though lefs criminal, it produces moft tormenting anxieties. But commonly it proceeds from a degree of that irreverent vanity, which poffeffed our parent Eve, and coft mankind fo dear, of invading fuch knowledge, as God hath reserved to himself, instead of acquiefcing cheerfully in so much as he hath imparted. Then • Rom. i. 22. ↑ Gel. ii. 18. |