earth: "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." The anthem of heaven is the same one seraph "cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." And this

is the appeal of Jehovah; "Hear now, O house of Israel, is not my way equal?-I am the Lord, who exercise judgment and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord*." There is cause for what the Psalmist affirms of the obscurity of the Divine conduct: "Clouds and darkness are round about him;" yet this is invariably and absolutely certain," righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne t." The arrangements of thronet." his providence may afflict us; but faith cheerfully replies, "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right;" and shall we be angry at what is right? Can we repine at the result of infinite wisdom and eternal rectitude ?

The justice of Divine dispensations is confirmed also from the fact of a general Judgment." Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? God forbid! for then how shall God judge the world?" And will he not do so? Is there not a period of future reckoning and final decision awaiting the whole race of man? "He hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained," even Jesus. To dwell on these thoughts is not necessary. You are convinced of their truth you feel something of their force. The dispensations of God are, each of them, equitable: the question, therefore, is easily answered, "Doest thou well to be angry?'

2. Most of them are merciful.-They were such

* Ezek. xviii. 25; Jer. ix. 24. † Ps. xcvii. 2.

in a distinguished degree, to Nineveh. Mercy rejoiced against judgment;" and was displayed, in all its riches, towards that repenting people. How then could Jonah yield to anger? Surely he saw his error, and lamented his sin, in penitent shame!

And what are the dispensations of God to us? Are they not replete with mercy? Does not the Lord delight in mercy, and in the exercise of it even to us? It is well to contrast the Lord's conduct towards us, with ours towards him. What has been our rebellion! How many have been our provocations? Can we count them? Are they not more in number than the hairs of our head, and more aggravated in guilt than language can express? And what has all this rebellion deserved! Each act has incurred the bitter pains of eternal death: take them in their accumulated amount, and who can conceive their dismal demerit? But behold!" Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. His tender mercies are over all his works."

Is it possible to appeal to any of you as strangers to the mercies of the Lord? You all know them. They have attended you from earliest infancy in every stage of life, and through all its diversified scenes to the present moment. Mercies have met you at every turn in your pilgrimage: they have been mingled with every occurrence, and have alleviated every trial.

But we speak not of common mercies only."Thanks be to God for his unspeakable Gift," his chief mercy to a lost world! This mercy is ours. "God hath given to us eternal life; and this life is in his Son." "He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Some of you have received

this gift, and already you have learnt its inestimable worth. And have you thought of the innumerable mercies which are comprehended in this one?" He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" He gives us the special favours of his grace, the tokens of his love, the light of his countenance, the joy of his salvation: he blesses us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ. And can we murmur at Divine dispensations? In the review of them, the appeal is most pertinent; Doest thou well to be angry?"

3. All of them work together for good.-Consider the dispensations of God separately, and they are right the most afflictive are just, and are tempered with much mercy : but take them jointly, regard them in their connexion with each other, and they all co-operate to produce some salutary end. The different ingredients of a medicine may be valuable, but it is by compounding them that they become beneficial their combined qualities produce the desired result. In like manner, the dispensations of Divine Providence work not separately, but "work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

And what is this good which even afflictive dispensations are adapted to produce? (for we are not apt to be angry at any other.) They are tests of the sincerity of our hearts towards God: they stir us up to more fervent and frequent prayer: they make us more humble, and more watchful : they are admirably suited to wean us from the world, to engage us to set our affection on things above, to quicken our spiritual progress, and to advance our meetness for heavenly happiness. Are not these ends sufficiently

important? Do they not justify the ways of God; and convince us of the utter unreasonableness of

fretful anger? "For which cause we faint not," amidst the varied adversities of life; "for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen, are temporal; but the things which are not seen, are eternal." We look at things not seen by faith, giving hearty credit to the declarations of God concerning them.

And mark the influence of this heavenly principle; how it sooths the mind under the adversities of life, and reconciles the heart to the most painful privations! By faith Moses renounced the pleasures of a court, and preferred affliction and reproach to all the affluence of a kingdom. By faith Abraham left his kindred, sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country, and, at the command of the Almighty, readily resolved on the most signal sacrifice that man ever made-the offering of his son, his only son Isaac.

The application is easy. You may be required to give up, what you had much rather hold;-to part with health, or property, or friends, or children. You may think it strange, that the innocent enjoyments of life, the comforts which so much please you, should be demanded. But be not angry. Trust in the Lord, and do good. Take him at his word, and obey his will. Faith forbids the rising murmur, and sweetly suggests

"He shall restore what you resign,
Or grant you blessings more divine."

But some may be ready to say;

"It is not at the

dispensations of God that I am displeased, but at the behaviour of men."-Let us examine this assertion. Perhaps they are your inferiors that use you ill. This was a mortifying circumstance to Job: it touched the pride even of that pattern of patience: "They that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock-children of fools; yea, children of base men; they are viler than the earth. And now am I their song; yea, I am their by-word." Possibly your near relations insult and injure you. This was the trial of David, and was particularly painful to his feeling heart: "It was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it; neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me-but it was thou, a man, mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance."

Or

probably your dependants are against you; persons whom you have essentially served; so that in their treatment you feel the return of base ingratitude. This was what the Saviour himself found: "He that eateth bread with me, hath lifted up his heel against me;" and should it be your experience, still the question recurs-" Doest thou well to be angry angry?” Reflect a moment. God is above you, infinitely higher than you are above the meanest of his creatures; and how He bears with your provocations! You stand related to him as his "offspring: he calls himself your "Father;" he hath "nourished and brought you up ;" and how he endures your rebellion! He is also your greatest Benefactor: He is loading you with the richest and most constant kindness; so that in your temper and conduct towards Him, there is ingratitude of the very worst description; and how does he requite this