or do any more, and stand by, and let them take their course, practically saying, "They owe themselves to me: I owe them nothing." And if they fall, he holds himself at liberty to proceed with and punish them strictly according to law, without any mitigation, the law being exactly right; so that it is matter of mere sovereign grace to grant relief to any ; a thing he may do, or not do, as he pleases, for aught he owes to them. Yea, he holds himself bound to do nothing for their relief, but in a way that shall be honourable to his law. Nevertheless, while he shows such a steady regard to his own honour, and so inflexibly adheres to the rights of the Godhead, as, by office, he is bound, being moral governor of the uni→ verse; at the same time, the whole system may see, too, that his goodness is as boundless as his nature. But then, he loves his creatures should know how the case really stands; that the rights of the Godhead ought not to be given up, and that the exercises of his goodness are absolutely free; that while they view things in the same light he does, they may feel as he thinks it is fit they should in such a case*. But time would fail to hint at the various ideas of himself, which he

* Unless property be known and acknowledged between man and man, and the boundaries fixed, there can be no room for the exercise of generosity. If my estate is none of mine, then it is not mine to give. If my neighbour may come and take what, and when he pleases, then I have no right to withhold any thing. My neighbour may justly think hardly of me if I do; and will not thank me, if I do not. But if I have any thing which I call my own, and to which my neighbour has no right, then he must acknowledge, notwithstanding any claim he has to make, I may do what I will with that, As the householder in the parable, (Mat. xx. 15.) said, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?" And if my neighbour views my property in the same light that I do, then he will be apt to view my generosity in the same light too; and what I offer as a free gift, he will receive and acknowledge as such; and feel as is fit. And it was absolutely necessary that property should be known and acknowledged, and the boundaries fixed between God and his creatures. And God by the law he gave to his creatures, as soon as created, and by his conduct since, has effectually done it; has plainly said what was due from them to him; and as plainly declared that he owed them nothing. And these boundaries set up by God, were they but acceded to and acquiesced in by man, the chief matters of controversy between God and man would be removed, and things would look fair for a reconciliation. But while man denies his debt to God, and makes large demands on the Deity, there is no hope of an accommodation. For God will demolish the universe sooner than give up his just rights, in favour of his rebellious creatures. Mat. v. 17.

has communicated in consequence of the grand apostacy of angels and men. Indeed, he has given materials for contemplation, that an whole eternity cannot exhaust.

The picture of himself, which God has given, and will give, in his conduct, from the fall of angels to the final consummation of all things, is gloriously full and complete. He has been called to act in an infinite variety of cases; and, 10 speak of him according to the language of scripture in the most trying circumstances, (read Ezek. xx. 5-29.) he has been tempted and tried, not merely 40 years in the wilderness, by the Israelites, but from the beginning of the world to this day, by every nation, kindred, language, and tongue; and has had opportunity to show his heart, by his conduct, in all the infinite variety of cases which have ever happened among the millions and millions of millions of subjects which he had to deal with. All which, together with all that remains to be accomplished to the end of the world, will be brought into view another day, and serve to make the picture of himself, which he has given, very full, and gloriously complete in the eyes of all holy intelligences.

Besides, his GREAT WORK, to which all his other works bear some respect, is so much like himself, that, in a manner, it gives his whole picture at once. An incarnate God on the cross, if the divine views, motives, and ends, are all considered, is a piece of conduct, of which it may be said, as it was of him that was chief actor in this affair: It is the brightness of God's glory, and the express image of his person. To create a world was but a small matter with the ALMIGHTY. word he could bring system after system into being with infinite ease. But the work of redemption, by the death of his Son, seems to be a work equal with himself, and in which he has expressed all his heart*.

With a

* The scripture informs us of no created intelligence besides angels and men ; much less does it attempt to raise our devotion by a contemplation of millions of globes inhabited besides this our earth. But, according to scripture, the work of redemption is God's great work; and from this, chiefly, we are to learn his moral character; and this are we to contemplate, with the other branches of his moral government, as revealed in the bible. And that love and devotion, which arises from these scriptural views of God and his works, is the scriptural devotion, and

Actions speak louder than words. The divine conduct sets his picture in a more striking, affecting point of light, than any mere verbal descriptions could have done, had there been no opportunity for conduct. When the ALMIGHTY actually banished the sinning angels from his presence, down to eternal darkness and wo, it set his character in a much stronger light, in the eyes of the elect angels, than his previous threatening had done. And when the day of judg ment actually comes, and the whole system are assembled to see and hear, and give up their account, and receive their sentence, it will be much more real than ever it was before made to any of God's creatures, by any descriptions or imaginations they ever had. And it will set the divine perfections in a light proportionably clear, striking, and affecting.

Had all things gone on still and quiet in God's kingdom, there had been no occasion or opportunity for these works, by which all will know that he is the LORD, and the whole system be filled with his glory.

Had the posterity of Abraham lived quietly in the land of Canaan, and multiplied there for 470 years, the Canaanites dying off meanwhile, as the Indians do in America, they might have filled the land with a much greater number of inhabitants, than when Joshua brought them in, and no Joseph sold; no infants drowned; no making bricks; no carcasses left in the wilderness, and they strangers to such great changes, trials, and sorrows; but then God would not have had an opportunity for any of those wonderful works which he wrought, whereby it was known that he was the LORD, and the whole earth was filled with his glory, and a foundation laid for much good to that people, then, and in all succeeding generations; yea, to this day, the whole church of God reap the benefit of those wonderful works which were recorded for our instruction, on whom the ends of the world are come.

infinitely preferable to imaginary transports. If our views of the works of creation, providence, and redemption, are according to scripture, we need not raise millions of imaginary systems of intelligences to inflame our hearts with a divine fervour; nor have we the example of one saint in the Bible to justify such an attempt.

So, had sin been for ever unknown in the system, there would have been no opportunity for the mighty works which God has wrought since the day he drove the apostate angels out of heaven, and our first parents out of paradise, and will yet work to the end of time, and final consummation of all things. All which, put together, will give the most full and complete, the most clear and striking picture, of the divine nature, for the contemplation and instruction of the inhabitants of heaven, through eternal ages.

4. While God forbears to interpose and hinder the apostacy of finite intelligences, being absolutely unobliged to say or do any more than he had said and done; and while, being left to their own free choice, a number of the angels in heaven, and man upon earth, rebel; and, being left to themselves, all the fallen angels, and great numbers of fallen men, go on in their rebellion, acting out their hearts, and exhibiting their picture in their conduct, through a long succession of ages; they plainly show what all finite intelligences in heaven and on earth might have come to, if they had not been prevented by the mere free grace of the only immutable Being. Meanwhile, God, as has been said, in his conduct, sets his own character in the clearest and fullest light. And so all holy intelligences will, through eternal ages, have the advantages of these two complete pictures; the picture that God has ex. hibited of himself, and the picture which fallen creatures have exhibited of themselves, to assist them to a clear view and realizing sense of what God is, and of what they might have been. Just as the pious Jews in the earthly Canaan, when they reviewed the conduct of God towards their forefathers, and their conduct towards him, had the picture of each before their eyes, for their instruction, from age to age. Which leads me to another thought:

5. At the end of these forty years, Moses assembles the whole congregation of Israel in the plains of Moab; and, that they might be under the better advantages to reap the benefit of all past transactions, now just as they are entering into the holy laud, he rehearses all God's conduct towards them, and all their conduct towards him, and labours deeply to impress a sense of both on their hearts; so, at the final

consummation of all things, the whole intelligent system will be assembled, and all past things be opened; all God's conduct towards his creatures, and all their conduct towards him; and that in such a manner as will make the deepest impressions on all that great assembly.

But as this will be a most solemn day, and perhaps the most important day that ever did or ever will happen, and a day on which great light will be given to God's universal plan; so it may not be amiss to stop here awhile, and consider, who is to be the Judge; and who shall be present in that great assembly; and what will be brought into view; and what will be the final sentence pronounced on the wicked; and what will be the visible consequence; and what the state of the righteous when all is over; and what must be their reflections upon the whole.

1. The MESSIAH, the Son of God, the seed of the woman, will be the judge. So great was his zeal for the honour of God, and concern for the salvation of lost sinners, that he offered to undertake to frustrate satan's scheme; and, on the cross, at the expense of his life, he entirely disconcerted the plan the devil had laid, and sapped the foundation of his kingdom; opening a way, in which glory might come to God, and salvation to fallen man: which so pleased the eternal Father, that he gave him for his reward, the very thing his heart was chiefly set upon; even full power and authority completely to accomplish his design. Messiah took the throne, and at the head of the universe, conducted all things from that day and forward, with his end in constant view, til satan's kingdom was destroyed, and he had reigued on earth a thousand years. And having seen of the travail of his soul to his satisfaction, in the recovery of a great multitude of the human race, a multitude like the stars of heaven, and as the sands on the sea-shore, innumerable; now he comes to cause strict justice to take place on all the obstinate adherents to satan's interest. Behold, he cometh in the clouds of heaven, and every eye shall see him, and the fatal, the finishing stroke shall be laid full on the old serpent's head which shall be done in the most public manner; for,