I. How far the light of reason, unassisted, can go in the things of a religious and moral nature.—
II. And, to point out its insufficiency, in these respects, which are not only very important, but altogether necessary.——
The first of these has already been discussed.—And we entered, in the preceding discourse, upon the second—and illustrated the insufficiency of the mere light of reason.—1st. In regard to the essential glories and excellencies of the divine nature and character—and 2nd. in regard to the right way of worshipping and serving God.
We now pass—to observe——
3. The light of mere reason, or conscience of mankind is wholly insufficient to discover to us whether God will accept of us, at all; and if he will, upon what terms. It can tell us that he is the Maker of all things, the Preserver of all things, the governor of all things; but can give us no instruction upon what terms he will receive us into his favour and friendship, or whether he will do it, at all. When we ponder deep on moral and religious subjects, we cannot be but conscious of many imperfections and Sins. We feel that there is a power on high whom we have offended. We dread his anger. When another world is seriously contemplated, we dare not appear in it without some firm hope. An invisible God—an incensed Judge is an alarming thought. The anxious enquiry is wherewith shall we come before him—and bow ourselves before a holy and pure God? Mere reason cannot satisfy the enquiry. It knows not how we may come before him, or with what sacrifices he will be pleased. Being truly humbled and deeply grieved for our offences seems the most natural way of hoping for pardon and acceptance. But, whether a holy and righteous sovereign, on our repentance, can forgive us consistently with his glories, or the safety of his Universe, reason cannot inform us. To cast ourselves upon his infinite clemency is what reason would advise. But, whether this would be safe or not, is a grand uncertainty. Without a revelation, therefore, we do not know whether we may be pardoned—or if we may, how it may be consistently done; or how we may be recovered from the evils, which all men feel, and of which the world is full. Reason can see the disease, under which all men labour, but can prescribe no method of cure. All the wise men of the heathen world for thousands of years together, have tried to discover a method of escape from the evils, which all felt, and of which they justly complained. But all in vain.—An infinitely wise God gave human nature a fair trial—all advantages—and time long enough to satisfy all reasonable men, how far it could go. Look round the world, at this day, and what success has boasted and almost idolized reason had in things of a moral and religious concern, among pagan nations?—Look back on past ages, and where alas! is the man—or the body of men that have found reason a sufficient guide? Even, in the countries blessed with the Gospel, what delusion, what Error, what superstition!—Without a divine Revelation all is darkness, in a moral view:—all is helpless and hopeless:—there is no pardon:—there is no salvation. Reason could never show one sin forgiven or lead a step beyond the grave—or have any idea of the resurrection of the body.
All mankind are, therefore, in themselves, without hope and without God in the world. Under all the pressures of adversity, or dismal pains and calamities of life, separate from revealed Religion, there is no relief for them. All would be darkness,—mystery—and despair. They could not conjecture for what the world was made—for what it is preserved—why there were made rational creatures—What design is aimed at, in the government of the world—or what the real and true character of the Maker of it is—or what will be the end of the whole.
4. The reason and conscience of mankind do not clearly discover a future state, nor place before them rewards and motives sufficiently strong and powerful to induce them, amid the attractions, temptations and vanities of this world, to act with a wise reference to another.
Conscience is God’s monitor, reprover or counsellor within the soul. In many important cases, it dictates what ought to be done, and what ought not to be done in regards to our behaviour towards our fellow men, and towards ourselves as connected in society. It shows us plainly what moral ties, in a multitude of instances, which cannot now be enumerated, bind us. When we do wrong, it punishes us by severe remonstrances and upbraidings. When we do well, it testifies in our behalf, and administers rich consolation by self-approving reflections. It, consequently, serves as a natural law to all men. It is the Deity’s law written or imprinted on all minds. From its present severe reproofs for vicious, and pleasing joys, for virtuous and upright conduct, we may gather, fairly, that there will be a future reckoning—a day of judgment—a world to come—a place to remunerate the just, and to inflict punishments on the incorrigible. At least, we may conclude all this to be highly probable. Conscience, then, points us to a future state as a probability. Accordingly the most, though not all of heathen nations and tribes have had some faint and confused idea of another life after death. Some wavering belief of it. They conjectured that there might be, or would be a future existence. The rational and sober livers among them hoped there would be another life. But no nation, not favoured with revealed light, ever entertained any tolerably consistent or rational notions of it, either of the rewards to be conferred upon the good, or the evils to be endured by the wicked.—With their Poets and Orators all was fable and fiction. They described, with much ornament of language, their Elysian fields—and represented, in a terrifying manner, their furies.—
Few, indeed, if any, had a just idea that one holy, righteous and good Being made and presided over the whole universe. Some have doubted whether ever one of the heathen philosophers really believed, unless he had seen the Old or New Testament, the unity of the Godhead. Socrates is represented by some as dying a Martyr to this belief—but, in his last moments, he ordered sacrifice to be offered to the idol-gods of his country—thereby giving his dying testimony to polytheism. However this may be, it is certain to a demonstration that the heathen have universally been polytheists or have admitted a plurality of Gods. They had their great and their household or domestic divinities—their terrestrial and celestial divinities, more than thirty thousand in all. Almost every thing in nature, as well as the sun, moon and stars, was worshipped—such as groves of trees, fountains of water, rivers, various plants and insects. As concerning, therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifices to Idols, we know that an Idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called Gods whether in heaven or in earth (as there be Gods many and Lords many) but to us there is but one God the father of whom are all things and we by him.
The right way to know what reason can do, in things moral and religious, is to see what it actually hath done, in past ages, among the most learned and polished nations. They had great men—learned men—philosophers—poets—statesmen—and orators: especially the Romans and Greeks. They were opulent, and had many schools of wise men. These cultivated science, and spared no pains in their researches, to discover truth. They did all that reason could do, when learning is most liberally encouraged and happily flourishes, as to a discovery of a future world—and what rewards await the virtuous, and what punishments will be the portion of the wicked. After all, their notions were ridiculous, childish, self-repugnant, and contradictory.