person; and having had no beginning at any period, all his qualities or kind of real existence in themselves, possess nothing but existence or life in their absolute kind; and having nothing but life or existence, then such qualities have no kind of non-existence, being in their kind just opposite, and having no possible qualites of non-being, they therefore cannot decay into non-existence, which is no being, or out of life, and thus being void of lifeless qualities, it absolutely follows that what he has been, and now is, he must always be: God therefore is unchangeably the same, from all eternity, and must remain so.

His omnipotent power unites, to the same purpose; for omnipotent power in its very kind can have no higher power, to debar or contract existence, and having no higher at any time, it follows, that none can interfere in any way to the alteration or destruction of existence belonging to such omnipotent power, nor can such being or power be diminished, nor destroyed by the being himself, because that would be contrary to his living qualities only, by decaying and dying; but being of existent qualities they are opposite to any small destruction, which would be non-existence so far as destroyed, and being opposite to any least noubeing, then that power once self-existent must remain so, and that, as aforesaid, being omnipotent, must remain so; God is therefore unchangeable in his power also. The same is as evident in reference to all the other perfections of Deity, since he is above all possible beings, none can impede or destroy any one of his qualities, nor can any one be destroyed by himself, because he has no perishable qualities, and therefore is opposite to the least non-being;

what he is therefore in himself as possessing wisdom or knowledge of all, in all space, and as possessing goodness or holiness, so he was, and must remain, as aforesaid; God then, from the very evidence of reason upon nature, appears an uncreated, eternal, omnipotent, all-wise, aud good or holy substance; who is absolutely one in himself, and immutable in all perfections.

SECTION II.

Having thus proved the being and perfections of a God over all, I now proceed to give evidence of a Law or Revelation of his Will, having been given to mankind, and shall prove that the writings of the Scriptures are the complete united Revelation, that he has given us.

The whole of existences that have any understanding evidence their capacities to know, and obey according to such understanding; hence the ox knows and obeys certain commands of its master, the ass, the horse, yea numberless creatures have their evidences of this kind, and without a certain mode of ruling all sensible creatures, it is very plain that no proper purpose could hitherto be answered; and it is as plain, that since such dispositions to receive and obey any commands peculiar to themselves, came from the Creator in the formation of such capacities, who is, as already proved, infinite in wisdom, that he could not give such dispositions for no purpose, but did first give them to answer such like ends of obedience, otherwise the gift of them would have been for no use, which would have been folly

of maintaining the good and happiness of his creatures, and the dignity, honour, and holiness of himself; and as it has ever been wise to adapt all things to the power of the individuals, and that in order to the best end designed thereby, God, who has ever been unbounded in his wisdom, would according to the end of wisdom treat his creatures; according to their power of perceiving and obeying his revelation in order to answer the end to himself and creatures, that thus the best end might be answered by so doing. That revelation having been given to be received by the capacities of individuals, according to the rules of infinite wisdom, who could not, being so wise, give it otherwise; and having given that revelation for the outward as well as inward obedience of life, it therefore must have been suited to all the obedient powers of mankind, and thereby it was a law or revelation to the whole being of that species.

This leads me to say, that the revelation was given to the senses of the species of mankind; for those only have ever been the medium of knowing any thing. First, our species have ever felt, smelled, seen, and heard, before they could possibly have any understanding to the mind, of any outward thing. The understanding we have had at any time of the laws of nature, and of the nature and dispositions of the God of nature, as aforesaid, has been seen by our eyes, or heard of with our ears, before we could understand or reason of them; in like manner, the revelation given by God, according to his disposition so to do, as evidenced in the dispositions of nankind and their acts, was a revelation to the eyes, ears, or feelings of the heart besides the hearing of the ears, and the seeing of the eyes; since it has ever been the case that things that

are seen, must have been represented to the eyes; and things that are heard, must have been represented to the ears; and things that are known to our minds, must have been impressed upon them. Thus the outward senses of individuals were the only means of a knowledge of the objects without; and the inward feelings of the heart the proper means of knowing internal or spiritual impressions of spiritual objects.

Now God gave a revelation according to the declaration of his intelligent creatures, by them doing so from the disposition of God in them, who, I say, must have given one being his disposition, by which he, as well as every other' being must act; yea, his disposition, his determination, his will, have ever been one, and his will has ever been his commander, according to the true nature of a will in the mind; and having been his will or disposition, which in its nature is a commander to action, then the act of giving a law to the powers of man's body and soul did take place by that will of himself. Thus therefore God has really given a revelation to his creatures for the purposes already mentioned, because it was his will or disposition. Now, as it positively appears that from past and present evidences of the legal dispositions and acts of intelligent beings, that God also willed and therefore gave a law or revelation; it now is my business to show the true revelation as from him, who is perfect in all his possessions.

I presume that none will for a moment deny that two evidences and purposes, being both alike, could come from two different causes, as cause has always the same effect, and two of the like evidences must have been therefore from one origin; the evidences of all proper inanimate,

animate, and rational nature, bear their testimonies of a creative, supporting, eternal, omnipotent, all-wise, and holy Being, who therefore demands the reverence, honour, and obedience of all; and animate rational nature manifest traces of dispositions to govern by commands, to punish for crimes, and thereby to maintain peace and order, and so far happiness with the glory of God, whom many can see in nature; and hereby is an evidence of God having given a law of his will. All evidences of nature, animate and inanimate, have and do tend to the honour and glory of God, with the good and the happiness of mankind. The revelation or code which makes known the revelation of the very same, and which tends to the very same reverence, glory, and honour of God; the good and happiness of mankind and the lower part of the sensible creation, is in its own contents at least as instructive and useful in every point: as all nature, and therefore as good in the aforesaid respects; and as there has never been hitherto any but one source of all good, then the revelation of good in all nature, and in any kind, could not be from one, and the revelation or code book be from another, for that would be making two distinct causes of the same good, which is quite contrary to all evidences of a first cause of all good; and being only one first good to mankind, when at any time one collective demonstration of that which tends to good in any way is known to be from God, the only cause of such good, the same becomes an evidence of another equally good having come from him too, since I say there never was any cause of any good but one, namely God. Now I am led from the plain evidences of similar effect having had similar cause; to declare the revela