Twenty-four Discourses: On Some of the Important and Interesting Truths, Duties, and Institutions, of the Gospel, and the General Excellency of the Christian Religion; Calculated for the People of God of Every Communion, Particularly for the Benefit of Pious Families, and the Instruction of All in the Things Which Concern Their SalvationPerkins, Nathan
Religion
Twenty-four Discourses: On Some of the Important and Interesting Truths, Duties, and Institutions, of the Gospel, and the General Excellency of the Christian Religion; Calculated for the People of God of Every Communion, Particularly for the Benefit of Pious Families, and the Instruction of All in the Things Which Concern Their Salvation
Perkins, Nathan
Christian life -- Early works to 1800; Congregational churches -- Sermons -- Early works to 1800; Sermons, American -- Early works to 1800
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.--
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