The beauty, harmony, regularity, and order in nature's works, attest the divinity of their origin. Behold the beautiful adaptation of all things to each other; the harmonious revolutions of the mighty spheres; the skill and wisdom displayed in the constitutions of all organized beings; consider well the mechanism of thy own frame; see how "fearfully and wonderfully thou art made;" think of the mysterious union between this house of clay and its immortal tenant, and doubt, if thou canst, the being of a God.

"O! lives there, heaven, beneath thy dread expanse,

One hopeless, dark idolator of chance?"

The argument for the being of a God from the works of nature, opens to our view an extensive and interesting field. So that, whether we contemplate the land or water, the surrounding elements or revolving seasons, we behold, everywhere, the deep impress of the Deity; and, kindling with the flame of pure devotion, our hearts should beat in harmony with the enraptured bard :

"Motionless torrents! silent cataracts!

Who made you glorious as the gates of heaven
Beneath the keen full moon? Who bade the sun
Clothe you with rainbows? Who with living flowers,
Of lovelier hue, spread garlands at your feet?
God! let the torrents, like a shout of nations,
Answer! and let the ice-plains echo, God!
God! sing, ye meadow-streams, with gladsome voice:
Ye pine-groves, with your soft and soul-like sound!
And they, too, have a voice, yon piles of snow,
And in their perilous fall shall thunder, God!"

III. In the third and last place, Revelation, with all the force of her authority, declares the being and character of God. It is true, that the force of the evidence from this source will only be admitted by such as acknowledge the truth of revelation. But to such as are not prepared to reject, as an imposture, the record of Holy Writ, the sacred pages furnish the clearest and most impressive demonstrations on this subject. The book of Genesis opens with this sublime announcement: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." From the commencement to the conclusion of the sacred volume, through the successive dispensations, by "signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost," the clearest possible evidence has been given to exhibit the being of God, and proclaim his dominion over heaven and earth. Thus we may see, that, although the Bible nowhere, in express words, professes to teach that there is a God, yet its testimony in con

firmation of the truth of that position is impressive and irresistible. In the sacred history, we see the elements obedient to his word. "The winds and the sea obey him;" the earth trembles; and the dead come forth to life, as demonstrations of the being and power of Him who made them all.

Thus have we briefly glanced at some of the most striking evidences of the existence of that great and holy God, "in whom we live, and move, and have our being."

QUESTIONS ON LECTURE I.

QUESTION 1. What was the import of the 10. term God, with the Anglo-Saxons?

2. What is the Hebrew word rendered God, 11. in the first chapter of Genesis?

3. What was its root in the Arabic, and what 12. did it imply?

4. What are the words for God in Greek and Latin, and what do they imply?

How was this knowledge secured to
Noah?

How may it have extended, in some
degree, to all nations?

Has human reason, independent of revelation, ever acquired a knowledge of the being of God?

May all nations derive arguments from nature and reason, in favor of the existence of God?

Divine existence be derived?

13.

5. By what other names is God called in

Scripture ?

6. What is embraced in our general idea of God?

14.

From what sources may proofs of the

LECTURE II.

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.

In this lecture, we propose to consider the ATTRIBUTES or PERFECTIONS of the Divine Being. God is infinite, but man is finite; hence we may infer, at once, that it is impossible for us thoroughly to comprehend Jehovah. That which comprehends must be greater than that which is comprehended. But God is infinitely superior to all created intelligences; therefore it is impossible that any should thoroughly comprehend his nature. The incomprehensibility of God was admitted by the heathen philosophers, as is beautifully shown in the history of Simonides. This philosopher being asked by his prince, "What is God?" demanded first a day, then a week, then a month, to consider the subject; but, finally, left the question unanswered, declaring that "the more he examined the subject, the more he was convinced of its incomprehensibility.”

Our imbecility on this subject is forcibly portrayed by Zophar, in the eleventh chapter of the book of Job. "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea."

To comprehend the Divine essence is impossible. All we can do is, to consider his attributes, so far as he has been pleased to reveal them to man. In this sense of the word, it is both our privilege and duty to "acquaint ourselves with him."

By many divines, the attributes of God have been divided into different classes. They have been considered as Absolute or Relative; Positive or Negative; Natural or Moral; and Communicable or Incommunicable. But these divisions we consider unnecessary, and, at least, of questionable propriety; for it may be doubted whether one attribute is more natural than another; and whether all are not communicable in the same sense in which any are. Therefore, we shall adopt no classification whatever.

Before we enter particularly into the discussion of the several attributes, we would remark, that the Divine nature is not to be understood as divided into separate and distinct parts; but all the attributes are to

be considered as pertaining fully, and at the same time, to the one undivided essence. Nor are we to suppose that there is any discrepancy between them. By no means. The Divine justice and mercy cannot be opposed to each other; but all the attributes of God are united in the most perfect harmony.

In the presentation of a list of the Divine attributes, it will appear that their number may be increased or diminished, accordingly as we are general or minute in our division; and, after all, we cannot say that we have a perfect knowledge even of their number. For who can tell what properties may belong to the Divine nature, of which Heaven has not seen fit to make any revelation to us, and of which we can form no conception? Therefore, all at which we shall aim is, to present a faint outline of the Divine perfections, as we find them delineated in the Holy Scriptures. The following are therein clearly portrayed,

I. Unity. II. Spirituality III. Eternity. IV. Omniscience. V. Omnipotence. VI. Omnipresence. VII. Immutability. VIII. Holiness. IX. Truth. X. Justice. XI. Goodness.

I. UNITY. That there is but ONE God, is clearly revealed in the following passages:-Isa. xlv. 21, 22. "There is no God else beside me. I am God, and there is none else." Deut. vi. 4. "Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord ;" and iv. 35. "The Lord he is God; there is none else beside him." Ps. lxxxvi. 10. "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things; thou art God alone." "There is none other God but one." Eph. iv. 6. Father of all." 1 Cor. viii. 6. "But to us there is but one God."

1 Cor. viii. 4. "One God and

The Unity of God, a doctrine so essential to the true worship, is thus distinctly and repeatedly declared. A plurality of gods is the leading error of Paganism. When once the vessel is launched forth from the safe moorings of eternal truth, how wildly will she toss upon the sea of error and delusion! Thus, when the heathen nations gave up the unity of God, how soon did they plunge into the dark gulf of polytheism! "They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." Well has the apostle said, "Their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." For surely, reason, if not wofully perverted, would say, there can be but one Great Supreme.

II. SPIRITUALITY. That the Divine essence is purely spiritual, is a doctrine clearly revealed. In John iv. 24, it is declared, that "God is a Spirit." 2 Cor. iii. 17. "Now the Lord is that Spirit." These passages sufficiently establish the spirituality of the Divine essence.

2

But how infinitely does the refined purity of his spiritual nature transcend the utmost grasp of finite minds! Who can analyze this spiritual essence?

III. ETERNITY, or Duration without beginning or end, is set forth as an attribute of God. Ps. xc. 2. "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Ps. cii. 24-27. "I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end."

Isa. lvii. 15. "For thus saith the high and lofty ONE that inhabiteth eternity." 1 Tim. vi. 16. "Who only hath immortality." Deut. xxxiii. 27. "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." 1 Tim. i. 17. "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever." Ps. cvi. 48. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting." Isa. xl. 28. Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?"

The above passages abundantly exhibit the eternity of the Deity. In the contemplation of this attribute, we are overwhelmed with the immensity of the subject. Everything around us, all that we behold, once had a beginning; the earth, the sea, the mountains and hills, yea, the angels themselves, are but of yesterday compared with God. Of him only may it be said, that he always was. Let imagination take her boldest sweep into that eternity which was, yet she never can reach the period in which God did not exist. Then let her whirl upon her lofty wing, and dart with the velocity of thought, for millions upon millions of ages, into the immeasurable range of eternity, a posteriori, but she never can reach the period in which God will cease to be. In an emphatic sense, applicable to no creature, may it be said, that God is eternal.

The voice of reason abundantly corroborates revelation upon this subject. For, had not God existed from all eternity, it would have been impossible for his existence ever to have commenced. There could have been no originating cause; and an effect without a cause is unphilosophical and absurd. If anything now exists, something must have been eternal; but we are assured of the present existence of things therefore reason irresistibly concludes that God is eternal.