ere a plea can be set up in their defence. Thus were the arguments for the abolition of the Slave-trade anfwered, and in this manner was that iniquitous traffic defended in the British Parliament. Doubtlefs there is a woe hanging over the heads of those men who thus called evil good and good evil; nevertheless we fee even in their conduct the amiableness of righteousness, and the impoffibility of fairly oppofing it. С НА Р. I. Chriftianity reveals a God, glorious in Holiness: but Deifm, though it acknowledges a God, yet denies or overlooks his Moral Character. THER : HERE are certain perfections which all who acknowledge a God agree in attributing to him fuch are those of wisdom, power, immutability, &c. These by Christian divines are usually termed his natural perfections. There are others which no lefs evidently belong to deity, fuch as goodness, juftice, veracity, &c. all which may be expreffed in one word, holiness; and these are usually termed his moral perfections. Both natural and moral attributes tend to display the glory of the divine character, but especially the latter. Wifdom and power in the Supreme Being render him a proper object of admiration; but justice, veracity, and goodness attract our love. No being is beloved for his greatnefs, but for his goodness. Moral excellence is the higheft glory of any intelligent being, created or uncreated. Without this, wifdom would be fub tilty, power tyranny, and immutability the fame thing as being unchangeably wicked. We account it the glory of Revelation, that while it displays the natural perfections of God in a way superior to any thing that has been called religion, it exhibits his moral excellencies in a manner peculiar to itself. It was with good reafon that Mofes affirmed in behalf of Ifrael, Their rock is not as our Rock, our enemies themselves being judges. The God or Rock of Ifrael is conftantly defcribed as a Being glorious in holiness, and as requiring pure and holy worship. The Lord, the Lord God, merc ful and gracious, long fuffering, and abundant in goodnefs and in truth -The Lord our God is holy-Holy and reverend is his name-Glory ye in his holy name -And one cried to another, and faid, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hofts; the whole earth is full of his glory-He is of purer eyes than to behold evil; and carsnot look on iniquity—A God of truth, and without iniquity; juft and right is he. Is any thing like this to be found in the writings of the ancient heathens ? No. The generality of their deities were the patrons of vice, and their worship was accompanied with the fouleft abominations that could difgrace the nature of man. Juftice, benevolence, and veracity were not confidered as neceffary in any part of their religion; and a large proportion of it confifted in drunkenness, lewdnefs, and the offering up of human facrifices. The object of Christian adoration is JEHOVAH, the God of Ifrael; whofe character for holiness, justice, and goodness is displayed in the doctrines. and precepts of the gofpel in a more affecting light than by any of the preceding difpenfations. But who or what is the God of deifts? It is true they have been fhamed out of the polytheism of the heathens. They have reduced their thirty thoufand deities into one: but what is his character? What attributes do they afcribe to him? For any thing that appears in their writings, he is as far from the holy, the juft and the good, as thofe of their heathen predeceffors. They enjoy a pleasure, it is allowed, in contemplating the productions of wisdom and power; but as to holiness, it is foreign from their enquiries: A holy God does not appear to be fuited to their wishes. Lord Bolingbroke acknowledges a God, but is for reducing all his attributes to wisdom and power ; blaming divines for diftinguishing between his phyfical and moral attributes; afferting that "we cannot afcribe goodness and juftice to God, accord"ing to our ideas of them, nor argue with any "certainty about them; and that it is abfurd to "deduce moral obligations from the moral attri"butes of God, or to pretend to imitate him in "thofe attributes."* Voltaire admits "A fupreme, eternal, incomprehenfible intelligence;" but paffes over his moral character.+ Mr. Paine fays, "I believe in one God, and no more;" and in the courfe of his work afcribes to him the natural perfections of wisdom and power ; but is very fparing in what he fays of his moral excellence, of his being the moral governor of the world, and of man's being an accountable creature. He affects indeed to be fhocked at the impurity of * See Lelands Review, Let. xxiii. the ideas and expreffions of the Bible, and to feel for “the honour of his Creator in having fuch a book called after his name."* This is the only paffage, that I recollect, in which he expreffes any concern for the moral character of God; and whether this would have appeared but for the fake of giving an edge to reproach, let the reader judge. How are we to account for thefe writers thus de-. nying or overlooking the moral character of the Deity, but by supposing that a holy God is not fuited to their inclinations? If we bear a fincere regard to moral excellence, we fhall regard every being in proportion as he appears to poffefs it; and if we confider the Divine Being as poffeffing it fupremely, and as the fource of it to all other beings, it will be natural for us to love him with fupreme affection, and all other beings in fubferviency to him. And if we love him fupremely on account of his moral character, it will be no lefs natural to take pleasure in contemplating him under that cha-racter.. On the other hand, if we be enemies to moral excellence, it will render every being who poffeffes it unlovely in our eyes. Virtuous or holy characters may indeed command our respect, and even admiration; but will not attract our affection. Whatever regard we may bear to them it will not be on account of their virtue, but of other qualities of which they may be poffeffed. Virtuous characters may be alfo wife and mighty; and we may admire their ingenuity, be delighted with their splendor, and take pleasure in vifiting them that we may infpect their curiofities: but in fuch cases the more * Age of Reason, Part I. p. 16. Much the fame If-we be ene a holy Being, things of a moral nature are kept at a distance, the more agreeable will be our vifit. may be faid of the Supreme Being. mies to moral excellence, God, as will poffefs no loveliness in our eyes. We may admire him with that kind of admiration which is paid to a great genius, and may feel a pleasure in tracing the grandeur and ingenuity of his operations: but the farther his moral character is kept out of fight, the more agreeable it will be to us. Lord Shaftesbury, not contented with overlooking, attempts to fatirize the fcripture representations of the divine character. "One would think, he says, "it were eafy to understand that provocation and "offence, anger, revenge, jealousy in point of ho"nour or power, love of fame, glory, and the like, "belong only to limited beings, and are neceffa"rily excluded a Being which is perfect and uni"verfal." That many things are attributed to the divine Being in a figurative style, speaking merely after the manner of men, and that they are fo understood by Chriftians, Lord Shaftesbury must have well known. We do not think it lawful, however, fo to explain away these expreffions as to confider the Great Supreme as incapable of being offended with fin and finners, as deftitute of pleasure or difpleasure, or as unconcerned about his own glory, the exercife of which involves the general good of the univerfe. A Being of this defcription would be neither loved nor feared, but would become the object of univerfal contempt. It is no part of the imperfection of our nature that we are fufceptible of provocation and offence, * Characteriflics, Vol. I. § V. |