II. Thing I proposed, which was to shew, that this attribute of perfection doth belong to God; and that the divine nature is perfectly bleffed and happy; and this is so universalan acknowledgment of natural light, that it would be a very superfluous and impertinent work, to trouble you with particular citations of heathen authors to this purpose; nothing being more frequent in them, than to call the Deity, beatiffimam perfectiffimam naturam, the most happy and most perfect being, and therefore happy, because felicity doth naturally refult from perfection. It shall fuffice to take notice of these two things out of heathen writers, to my present purpose:

1. That they accounted happiness so essential to the notion of a God, that this was one of the ways which they took to find what properties were fit to attribute to God, and what not; to confider, what things are consistent with happiness, or incon. sistent with it; and whatever did fignify happiness, and was a perfection consistent with it, they afcribed to God, as a fuitable property of the divine nature; and whatever was otherwise, they removed it from God, as unfit to be faid of him.

2. Whatever differences there were among the philosophers concerning the perfections of the divine nature, they all agreed in the perfect felicity of it: even Epicurus himself, who so boldly attempted to strip the divine nature of most of its perfections, by denying that God either made or governed the world; whereby he took away at once his being the first cause and original of all things, and his goodness likewife, and wisdom, and power, and justice, or at least made all these useless, by taking away all occafion and opportunity for the exercise of them; yet this man does frequently own, and profess to believe the happiness of the divine nature; and then, out of an ignorant and officious kindness to the Deity, and (as he pretended) for the security of his felicity, did in effect, take away his other perfections; he would by no means put God to the trouble and burden of making the world, or taking care of the affairs of it, lest this should discompose the the Deity, or be an interruption or disturbance of his ease and felicity. For thus Lucretius, the great difciple of Epicurus, describes his opinion of the divine nature.

Omnis enim, per se, divûm natura necesse est,
Immortali avo summâ cum pace fruatur,
Semota ab noftris rebus, sejunctaque longè.
Nam privata dolore omni, privata periclis,
Ipfa fuis pollens opibus, nihil indiga noftri,
Nec benè promeritis capitur, nec tangitur irâ.

That is, "It is necessary that the divine nature should "be happy, and therefore altogether unconcerned in

our affairs; free from all grief and danger, suffi"cient for itself, and standing in need of no body, "neither pleased with our good actions, nor pro"voked by our faults." This was a very false notion both of God and happiness, to imagine that the care of the world should be a pain and disturbance to infinite knowledge, and power, and goodness. But this is not now my business to consider; that which is to my present purpose, is, that the happiness of the divine nature was universally owned; and that blessedness is so inseparable from the notion of a Deity, that whoever professes to believe a God, must acknowledge him to be perfectly happy.

As for the testimony of scripture, I have already told you, that there are but two texts wherein this title of μακάρια, the happy or blessed, is given to God: but by consequence the scripture every where declares the happiness of the divine nature, viz. whereever it speaks of the excellency and perfection of his being, of his knowledge, and power, and wisdom, and goodness, and righteousness, and of the eternity and unchangeableness of these, and of the infinite delight and complacency which he takes in the enjoyment of these perfections. I shall now proceed to the

III. And last thing which I proposed to confider, viz. How far creatures are capable of happi. ness, and by what ways and means they may be made made partakers of it. They are not capable of abfolute and perfect happiness,, because that results from infinite perfection, which is no where to be found but in God: It remains then, that creatures are only capable of being happy in a finite and limited degree, by the resemblance of God, and by the enjoyment of him; by being like to him, and by our likeness to him, being qualified for his favour, and for the enjoyment of him.

nor

As we are creatures of a finite power, and limited understandings, and a mutable nature, we do neceffarily want many of these perfections, which are the cause and ingredients of a perfect happiness. We are far from being fufficient for our own happiness; we are neither so of ourselves, nor can we make ourselves so by our own power; for neither are we wife enough for our own direction, good enough for our own fatisfaction. All the happiness that we are capable of, is by communication from him, who is the original and fountain of it; by our being made partakers of the divine nature, (as St. Peter speaks) by our refemblance of God in those perfections which are the most effential ingredients of happiness, his goodness and righteousness, and truth, and holiness; these do immediately qualify us for the favour and friendship of Almighty God, and for the blessed sight and enjoyment of him; and the favour of God, and the light of his countenance lifted up upon us, and his friendship and good-will to us, fupplies all the defects of power and wisdom in us: For God being our friend, we have an interest in all his perfections, and a security, that, as occafion requires, they will all be employed for our benefit and advantage; so that though we are weak in ourselves, we are strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, and are able to do all things through him strengthening us ; and though we want wisdom, we may have free recourse to the fountain of it, and ask it of God, who gives to all liberally, and upbraideth not. And it is next to having these perfections in ourselves, to know where to have them

for

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for asking, whenever we stand in need of them, fo far as is neceflary to our happiness.

So that though our happiness depend upon another, yet if we be careful to qualify ourselves for it, (and God is always ready to assist us by his grace to this purpose) it is really and in effect in our own power; and we are every whit as fafe and happy in God's care and protection of us, as if we were sufficient for ourselves. However, this is the highest happiness that the condition of a creature is capable of, to have all our defects supplied in so liberal a manner by the bounty of another, and to have a free recourse to the fountain of happiness, and at last to be admitted to the blessed fight and enjoyment of him, in whose presence is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. I have done with the three things I proposed to speak to.

But to what purpose, may ma some say, is this long defcription and discourse of happiness? How are we the wifer and the better for it? I answer; Very much, in feveral respects.

1. This plainly shews us, that Atheism is a very melancholy and mischievous thing; it would take away the fountain of happiness, and the only perfect pattern of it; endeavours at once to extinguish the being of God, and all the life and comfort of mankind, so that we could neither form any idea of happiness, or be in any possibility of attaining it. For it is plain, we are not sufficient for it of ourselves; and if there be not a God, there is nothing that can make us so. God is the true light of the world, and a thousand times more necessary to the comfort and happiness of mankind, than the fun itfelf, which is but a dark shadow of that infinitely more bright and glorious being; the happy and only potentate (as the Apostle describes him in the latter end of this epistle) who only hath immortality, dwelling in that light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can fee, meaning in this mortal state.

So that the greatest enemies, and most injurious of all others to mankind, are those who would ba

nish the belief of a God out of the world; because this is to lay the ax to the root of the tree, and at one blow to cut off all hopes of happiness from mankind. So that he is a fool indeed, that says in his heart, there is no God; that is, that wisheth there were none; because it is not possible for a man to wish worse to himself, and more effectually to destroy his own happiness.

2. If the divine nature be so infinitely and compleatly happy, this is a very great confirmation of our faith and hope concerning the happiness of another life, which the scripture describes to us, by the fight and enjoyment of God. As we are creatures, we are not capable of the happiness that is absolutely and infinitely perfect; because our nature is but finite and limited; but the blessed God, who is infinitely happy himself, can also make us happy according to our finite measure and capacity. For, as he that is the first and original being, can communicate being to other things; so he that is the fountain of happiness, can derive and convey happiness to his creatures.

And we shall the more easily believe this, when we confider that goodness, as it is the prime perfeEtion, so is it likewise the chief felicity of the divine nature. It is his glory and delight to communicate himself, and shed abroad his goodness; and the highest expression of the divine goodness, is to communicate happiness to his creatures, and to be willing that they should share and partake with him in it. Bafe and envious natures are narrow and contracted, and love to confine their enjoyments and good things to themselves, and are loth that others should take part with them: but the most noble and most generous minds are most free and enlarged, and cannot be happy themselves, unless they find or make others fo.

This is the highest pitch of goodness, and confequently the highest contentment, and the fupreme delight of the divine nature. Now it is natural to every being, to be most frequent and abundant in those acts in which it finds the greatest pleasures ;

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