ble majesty. Who can stand before his inlig nation? who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? The mountains quake before him; the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence."-"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."

Thus it appears, that God is not an unconcerned spectator of the ways of men-that he has every moment at his command the most destructive elements of nature-and that we have abundant proofs that these destructive elements have been occasionally used, for inflicting condign punishment on the workers of iniquity. Notwithstanding these resources of vengeance, we find, by experience, that his mercy is exercised, from year to year, a and from century to century, towards a world, the majority of whose inhabitants are daily trampling under foot his sacred institutions, and his holy laws. The instances which occur, of the devastations of the hurricane, the thunder, the volcano, the earthquake, and the pestilence, are comparatively few, and seem intended chiefly to arouse the attention of thoughtless and ungrateful man; to prevent him from running to the extreme of wickedness; and to convince him that the Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men," and that "verily there is a God who judgeth in the earth." Hence we may perceive the striking emphasis of the language of the inspired writers: "The Lord is slow to anger," and yet "great in power."

This display of the exercise of perfect selfcommand in the Divine Mind, is, therefore, calculated, as well as his wisdom and goodness, to inspire us with emotions of reverence, admiration, and love. "The Lord is merciful and

ments, but without infringing those general laws which are found to operate with undeviating constancy in the system of the universe. To explore the manner in which these general laws are directed to produce certain specific effects, in reference to particular regions and tribes of mankind, must obviously be beyond the limits of our faculties unless

we could enter into all the designs of the Eternal Mind, when he gave birth to the universe, and arranged its elementary parts; and unless we could take a comprehensive view of the remotest tendencies of the elements of nature, and the times and circumstances in which they shall produce a specific and extraordinary effect. All these tendencies and circumstances were before the mind of the Eternal Jehovah, when he established the plan of his moral government; and, therefore, whatever events may occur in the physical system, must be considered as the accomplishment of his moral purposes, in reference to the moral agents he has created. It would be presumptuous in so limited a being as man, to determine, in every case, what is the precise moral reason of the extraordinary destructive effects of physical agents. We can only say, in general, that they are connected with the sin and depravity of man. But, at that solemn day, when the reasons of the divine dispensations shall be laid open, it will perhaps be found, that such uncommon and alarm ing effects were the punishmeut of aggravated transgressions, the peculiar malignity and tendency of which were removed, in a great measure, beyond the sphere of general observation,

gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. As the heaven is high above the earth, so grea! is his mercy toward them that fear him. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

SECTION VI.

OF THE RECTITUDE OF THE DIVINE

CHARACTER.

Another perfection in the character of God, which is calculated to inspire confidence and af fection, is his Justice, or, the Rectitude of his

nature.

The rectitude of the Divine Being, in its most extensive sense, consists in doing that which, in all cases, is right, upon the whole; or, in other words, that which will have the greatest tendency to promote the order and happiness of his universal empire. It includes under it, the idea of distributive justice, which consists in rewarding the good, and punishing the bad, according to equitable laws, calculated to produce harmony and happiness throughout the whole intelligent system. This perfection of the Deity may be considered as a branch of his general benevolence, which appears to be the source of all his moral attributes, and the spring of all his actions. The display of his natural and moral perfections, and the general happiness of the intelligences which exist throughout his immense and eternal empire, appear to be the great objects in view, in his moral government of the universe: and, in order to secure these objects, it is requisite that justice be impartially administered, according to the eternal rules of rectitude, and that "every one be rewarded according to his works."

That this attribute is possessed by the Divine Being, in the highest degree, appears from the following considerations. He exists, and has always existed, completely independent of all his creatures; he is in the actual possession of boundless felicity, which no other being can interrupt; and is consequently liable to no evil, nor diminution of enjoyment. He is omnipotent, and therefore can accomplish whatever he pleases, and can effectually prevent whatever might detract from his happiness, or disturb the order of his government. He has, therefore, nothing to fear from any other being, and can desire nothing from his creatures to increase his felicity. Consequently, no possible motive or temptation can exist, to induce him to inflict an act of injustice on any of the intellectual beings he has formed. Injustice, among men, proceeds either from want of intelligence to discriminate between what is right and wrong; from want of power to bring their purposes into effect; from

the fear of some evil or disadvantage which may arise from the impartial distribution of justice; from the idea of some imaginary good of which they might be deprived; from some mental defect incident to the present state of humanity; from some prejudice against the individuals towards whom justice ought to be administered; or from the indulgence of some cruel and depraved dispositions. But none of these causes or motives can exist in the mind of the All-perfect and infinite Creator. His comprehensive eye takes in, at one glance, all the circumstances, even the most minute, on which a righteous decision depends; he is no respecter of persons;" he can indulge no malevolent dispositions; he can expect no accession of enjoyment from an act of injustice; he has nothing to fear from the execution of his decisions; his power is all-sufficient to bring them into full effect, at the time, and in the manner, which is most conducive to the happiness of the universe; and his benevolence, which is displayed throughout all his works, effectually prevents him from withholding good, or inflicting evil, beyond the desert of the subjects of his government.

This character of the Deity is amply exhibited and confirmed in the declarations of Sacred Scripture, where it is asserted, that "He is a God of truth, and without iniquity; just and right is he.""Thou art just," says Nehemiah, "in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly." "Shall mortal man be more just than God? Surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. Wilt thou condemn Him that is most just? Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked; or to princes, Ye are ungodly? How much less to him who accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor?"-" The righteous Lord loveth righteousness; he shall judge the world in righteousness; he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne. The Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doth." "I am the Lord who exercise judgment and righteousness in the earth." "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which ye have showed towards his name.Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." The equitable laws which he has promulgated to his creatures; the justice he requires to be exercised by one man to another; his promises of reward, and his threatenings of punishment; and the impressive judgments which he has executed on individuals, on nations, and on the world at large, all bear testimony to the existence of perfect rectitude in the divine character.

But, although Scripture and Reason combine in attesting the immutable justice of God, we are

unable, in many instances, to trace the display of this perfection in his dispensations towards the inhabitants of our world. This is owing, in part, to the false maxims by which we form a judgment of his procedure; to the limited views we are obliged to take of the objects of his government; to the want of a comprehensive knowledge of the whole plan of his dispensations, and the ends to be effected by them; to the limited views we have acquired of the whole range of his universal dominions; and to our ignorance of the relations which may subsist between our world and the inhabitants of other provinces of the divine Empire. We behold many of "the excellent of the earth," pining in the abodes of poverty, and almost unnoticed by their fellow-men; while we behold the wicked elevated to stations of power, and encircled with riches and splendour. From a false estimate of true enjoyment, we are apt to imagine, that misery surrounds the one, and that happiness encircles the other; and that there is an apparent act of injustice in these different allotments; whereas, God may have placed the one in the midst of worldly prosperity as a punishment for his sins, and the other in obscu rity, as a stimulus to the exercise of virtue. We behold a man of piety and benevolence falling before the dagger of an assassin, who escapes with impunity we are startled at the dispensation, and confounded at the mystery of provi dence, and are apt to exclaim, "Is there not a God that judgeth in the earth?" But, we are ig norant of the relation which such an event bears to the general plan of the divine governmentof the links in the chain of events which preceded it, and of those which shall follow in its train. We are ignorant of the relation it bears to particular families and societies, or to the nation at large in which it happened, and even to all the nations of the earth. An event apparently trivial, or mysterious, or, according to our views, un just, may, for aught we know, form an essential link in that chain of events which extends from the commencement of time to its consummation, which runs through a thousand worlds, and stretches into the depths of eternity. We all know, that some of the most appalling scenes of terror and destruction have often proceeded from an apparently trivial accident, and that events of the greatest importance have originated from causes so inconsiderable as to be almost overlooked. The British and Foreign Bible Socie→ ty, which now engages the attention of the whole mass of the Christian world, and whose beneficent effects will soon extend to the remotest corners of the world, derived its origin from a casual conversation between a few obscure individuals, on the subject of distributing the Scriptures. And the apparently trivial circumstance, of observing that a certain mineral substance, when left free to move itself, uniformly points towards the north, has been the means, not only

of the knowledge we have acquired of the different regions of our globe, but of imparting to millions of mankind incalculable blessings, which will descend to their posterity to the latest generations.

Hence it appears, that, in our present circumstances, we are altogether incompetent to form a correct judgment of what is just or unjust in the present dispensations of the Almighty, unless we could survey, with the eye of a seraph, the ample plan of the divine government, the whole chain of God's dispensations towards our race,the numerous worlds and beings over which his nioral government extends,-the relation which the events now passing among us bear to other moral intelligences, either as subjects of contemplation, as warnings of the danger of apostacy from God, or as motives to universal subjection and obedience,—and the connexions, bearings, and dependencies of the whole of that moral system which embraces unnumbered worlds, and constitutes one grand and boundless empire, under the government of the Creator.Even then, with the eye and the mind of a finite intelligence, we should occasionally meet with events which would surpass our comprehension, and be altogether inexplicable, on the grounds of the knowledge we had previously acquired, and should still be constrained to exclaim, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"

But although "clouds and darkness" at present hang over the ways of the Almighty, so that we cannot, in every instance, perceive the rectitude of his procedure, we may rest satisfied that "justice and judgment are for ever the foundation of his throne;" and we are assured, by the Sacred Oracles, that a period is approaching, when the mystery of Providence will be unfolded, and when all its dark and perplexing events, in reference to this world, will be explained to the full conviction of all its assembled inhabitants. For "God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." Then "the secrets of all hearts" shall be disclosed, and every man rewarded "according to his works;" for, "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Then it will be clearly perceived, that "verily there is a reward for the righteous, and that there is a God that judgeth in the earth." Then the rectitude of Jehovah, in every part of his moral administration, will shine forth in all its lustre; a visible and everlasting distinction will be made between the righteous and the wicked, and the whole intelligent creation will plainly discern between "him that served God, and him that served him not."

In the mean time, God has not left himself without a witness to the impartiality of his jus tice in his allotments towards men, in that he has invariably connected misery with the violation ef his laws, and happiness with the observance of them. However different the allotments of mankind may be, in regard to wealth, honour, or station, it holds invariably true, that "there is no peace," or substantial happiness, "to the wicked;" and that "the man is blessed who fears the Lord, and delights in his commandments."* Place a man on the highest pinnacle of earthly grandeur, and let him indulge in schemes of ambition, avarice, pride, revenge, cruelty, and other violations of the divine law, and he may as soon attempt to stop the sun in his course, as to expect substantial enjoyment while he continues in the indulgence of such maalevolent passions. Place another in the most obscure abode of human life, and let him exercise piety, benevolence, humility, and every other Christian temper; and he will enjoy a peace, an equanimity, and a portion of happiness, which the wicked can never possess, and which the wealth of the world can neither give nor take away. Hence it is, that we behold so many instances of disgust at life, and of self-destruction, among those who are elevated to stations of pow➡ er, and surrounded with every kind of sensitive enjoyment.-This consideration, of itself, should silence every murmur that is apt to arise at the dispensations of God's providence, and convince us that "he is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works."

On the whole, then, it appears, that the justice of God has a tendency to inspire us with confidence, and love, and joy, no less than his mercy and benevolence. Were it not for this perfection of the divine character, omnipotence night be come a most terrific and tremendous attribute of the Deity. We should have no motive but that of fear to stimulate us to obedience; we should feel no security against danger, and distress, and the perpetual recurrence of spectacles of vengeance, and, in the course of ages, the spacious universe might be transformed into an immense region of" lamentation, and mourning, and wo." Were it not for this perfection, the benevolence of the Deity would degenerate into weakness and imbecility. Wicked men, and other depraved intelligences, presuming on freedom from impunity, and their diabolical passions acquiring strength and vigour, by long exercise, would carry misery and destruction in their train, wherever they exerted their energies; and would interrupt, and ultimately destroy the harmony and felicity of the intelligent universe. But, while we recognize the rectitude of the divine character as an immutable attribute of Deity, we can look forward with confidence through all the revolu

•Psal. cxil. 1.

pre

tions of time, and to all those eternal scenes which shall succeed the demolition of the sent system of things, fully assured, that God is the universal Protector of his unnumbered offspring-that his power will never be interposed to inflict an act of injustice-that no intelligent being will ever suffer a punishment beyond his desert and that no happiness which his benevolence has devised, and his word has promised, will ever be withheld from those "who put their trust in his name, and hearken to the voice of his commandments."

Thus I have endeavoured to show, that love to God, which is the first principle of the moral law, is founded upon the natural and moral perfections of the Deity-that the attributes of omnipotence, wisdom, goodness, mercy, forbearance, and justice, are calculated to excite this noble affection to the highest degree in the minds of all holy intelligences. I might also have illustrated this subject from considerations drawn from the infinity, the eternity, the immutability, the holiness, and veracity of God. But the illustrations already stated, will, I presume, be sufficient to demonstrate, that this affection, in conjunction with all its kindred emotions, ought to occupy the highest place in the human heart, and in the minds of all created intelligences.

It may, perhaps, be insinuated by some, that the preceding illustrations have been carried to a greater length than the nature of the subject required-and it is readily admitted, that the mere logical argument did not require so extended illustrations. Every person who knows the meaning of the terms made use of, will at once admit, that, since God is a Being possessed of almighty power, infinite wisdom, boundless benevolence, mercy, forbearance, and perfect rectitude-he ought to be loved affectionately and supremely. But such general and metaphysical reasoning, though perfectly conclusive and incontrovertible, possesses but a slender influence over the mind, in exciting it to the cultivation of holy affections. For the sake of impression, it is essentially requisite, that the various manifesta tions of divine perfection should be presented to the view, in order that the mind may have a tangible train of thought before it, to stimulate its activities, and its religious emotions. General views and reasonings on any subject; and especially on the subject of religion, produce a very slight impression on the majority of mankind. It is not owing so much to the want of conviction of the truth of certain important propositions in religion, that divine truths take so slender a hold of the mind, as to the want of those definite and impressive conceptions which can be acquired only by a minute and attentive survey of the works and the dispensations of God. And, in this point of view, the preceding illustrations, had the limited nature of the present

work permitted, might have been prosecuted to a much greater extent.

I might also have illustrated this subject from a consideration of the relations in which God stands to us, and to all his creatures. He is our Creator, and we are the workmanship of his hands. He formed our bodies, and he sustains our spirits. His physical energy is felt by us every moment, in making our hearts to beat, and our lungs to play, and in impelling the crimson fluid which circulates in our bodies, through a thousand different tubes. To him we are indebted for life, and all its comforts; and for all the powers, capacities, and privileges, which dignify our nature, and exalt us above the lower ranks of existence. He is our Preserver and bountiful Benefactor, who "sustains our souls in life," who supports the course of nature, in its diversified movements, and "daily loads us with his benefits." To his superintending providence we are indebted for the food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes we wear, the air we breathe, the light which cheers us, the splendours of the sun, the milder radiance of the moon, the magnificence of the starry sky, the rains and dews which fertilize the soil; the earth, with its riches and abundance; the trees, plants, and waving grain, which enrich our fields; the flowers which deck the meadows, the beautiful and magnificent colouring which is spread over the terrestrial landscape, the succession of day and night, and the vicissitude of the seasons. In short, to him we are indebted for all the objects and movements around us, which render our abode on earth convenient, desirable, and productive of enjoyment.

He is our Father, and we are his children. He watches over us with a tender care; and, "as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.". This tender and indissoluble relation binds us to him by the strongest ties, and is calculated to excite the most ardent filial affection and gratitude. He is our Sovereign and Lawgiver, and we are his subjects; and all his laws are framed on the principles of eternal and immutable rectitude, and are calculated to promote the harmony and happiness of the whole intelligent creation. He is our Master, and we are his servants, and "his commandments are not grievous." He is our Friend in adversity, our Protector in danger and in distress; our Instructor, who has imparted to us knowledge and understanding; and our Redeemer, who "spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all," that we might be rescued from the gulf of depravity and ruin, and exalted to a state of consummate felicity. In fine, he is that being who is the inexhaustible fountain of light, of life, and of joy to all beingson whom depend all our future prospects in this world, and all the transporting scenes to which we look forward in an interminable state of

existence. All these, and many other relations, in which we stand to the God of heaven, demonstrate, that supreme love to this beneficent Being, is the first and highest duty of every rational creature; and they present the most powerful motives to stimulate us to its exercise. But, to illustrate these topics, in minute detail, would be inconsistent with the limited plan of the present work; and it is the less necessary, as several of them have already been brought into view, in the course of the preceding illustrations.

SECTION VII.

MODES IN WHICH LOVE TO GOD IS DISPLAYED.

I shall now offer a remark or two on the nature of this sublime affection, and the manner in which it ought to be manifested. Love to God is not a single and solitary affection in the human breast, which evaporates in a few transient and undefined emotions; but is the spring of every holy activity, and is intimately connected with every virtuous emotion, with every pious sentiment, with every religious requirement, with every sensitive enjoyment, with our present comforts, and our future and eternal prospects.

It includes in it, complacency, or delight in the character and administration of God. Viewing him as a self-existent and eternal Being,-filling immensity with his presence, launching innumerable worlds into existence, upholding them all by the "word of his power," and superintending the minutest concerns of all his offspring, from the loftiest seraph, through all the inferior gradations of existence, to the smallest animalcula, the mind feels the most delightful emotions, in regarding the happiness of the universe as perfectly secure under his physical and moral administration. Contemplating his bounty to angels and to men, to the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and the numerous tribes which traverse the surface of the land,-his mercy towards our fallen race,-his long-suffering and forbearance towards wicked nations and individuals, his faithfulness in the accomplishment of his promises and threatenings, and the unerring rectitude of his dispensations towards all his creatures, the mind feels supreme approbation and complacency in his attributes, purposes, and administrations; beholding in his character an excellence and amiableness, a moral dignity and grandeur which is not to be found in any created intelligence. Even in reference to those acts of his government which appear dreadful and appalling-in the volcano, the earthquake, the thunders, the hurricane, the tempest,

and the doom of the impenitent, its approbation and complacency are not withheld, convinced that perfect rectitude is the rule of his procedure, and that his righteousness will one day be brought to light before an assembled world.

Love to God includes admiration of his w derful works. The man whose affections are directed to the Supreme Intelligence is not an indifferent spectator of the manifestations of Deity. He beholds the magnificent canopy of heaven daily moving around him in silent gran deur; his eye penetrates beyond the apparent aspects of the twinkling luminaries which adorn it, and surveys the hand of the Almighty wheel ing stupendous globes through the immeasura ble regions of space, and extending his operations throughout unnumbered systems, dispersed over the boundless expanse of the universe. He be holds the great globe on which he is placed, impelled by the same omnipotent arm, prosecuting its course through the depths of space, and circling around the sun, to bring about the revolu tions of the seasons. He contemplates the vast ranges of mountains that stretch around it-the mass of waters in the mighty ocean, and its numerous tribes of animated beings-the "dry land," with all its furniture and inhabitants the vast caverns, chasms, and shattered strata which appear in its interior recesses-and the atmosphere with which it is surrounded, with the clouds, the lightnings, and the tempests which diversify its aspect. He traces the footsteps of the Almighty in his moral administration-in the deluge which swept away the inhabitants of the antediluvian world-in the burning of Sodom, the dividing of the Red sea, the thunders and lightnings of Sinai-the manifestation of the Son of God in human flesh; his sufferings, death, resurrection, and triumphant ascension-in the propagation of the gospel in the face of every opposition, in the rise and fall of empires, the dethronement of kings, the bat tles of warriors, and the convulsions of nations. And, while he contemplates such objects and operations, his admiration is excited by the incomprehensible knowledge displayed in the contrivance of the universe, the boundless benevo lence which extends over all these works, and the omnipotent power by which all the mighty movements of Creation and Providence are ef fected. And, while he admires, he is filled with strong emotions of reverence of the glorious perfections of that Being, whose mighty hand conducts those stupendous movements, and he feels the full force of the impressive exhortation of the psalmist, "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him: for he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." Even the abstract conceptions we have of the immensity of the Divine Being, by which he is present in every part of infinite space-the eternity of his