Attend a moment to the evidence of this reasoning, my brethren. The doctrine of Providence, expreffed in thefe words, God considereth the works of the inhabitants of the earth, is a neceffary confequence of this principle, God fashionet their hearts alike; and this principle is a necef fary confequence of that which the pfalmift had before laid down to account for the origin of the world. Yes! from the doctrine of God the Creator of men, follows that of God the infpector, the director, the rewarder, and the punisher of their actions. One of the moft fpecious objections, that hath ever been oppofed to the doctrine of Providence, is a contrast between the grandeur of God and the meannefs of men. How ca fuch an infignificant creature as man, be an ob ject of the care and attention of such a magnificent Being as God? No objection can be more fpecious, or, in appearance, more invincible. The distance between the meanest insect and the mightiest monarch, who treads and crushes reptiles to death without the least regard to them, is a very imperfect image of the distance between God and man. That which proves that it would be beneath the dignity of a monarch to obferve the motions of ants, or worms, to intereft him. felf in their actions, to punish, or to reward them, feems to demonftrate, that God would degrade himfelf were he to obferve, to direct, to punish, to reward mankind, who are infinitely inferior to him. But, one fact is fufficient to anfwer this fpecious objection: That is, that God hath created mankind. Doth God degrade himself more by governing than by creating mankind? Who can perfuade himself, that a wife Being hath giv en to intelligent creatures faculties capable of obtaining knowledge and virtue, without willing that they should endeavour to acquire knowledge and virtue? Or who can imagine, that a wife Being, who willeth that his intelligent creatures

fhould

hould acquire knowledge and virtue, will not punish them, if they neglect thofe acquifitions; and will not fhew, by the diftribution of his benefits, that he approves their endeavours to obtain them?

Unenlightened philofophers have treated of the attributes of God with as much abftrufeness as they have written of his works. The moral attributes of God, as they are called in the schools, were mysteries which they could not unfold. Thefe may be reduced to two claffes, attributes of goodness and attributes of justice. Philofophers, who haye admitted thefe, have ufually taken that for granted which they ought to have proved. They collected together in their minds all perfections, they reduced them all to one ob. ject, which they denominated a perfect Being and fuppofing, without proving, that a perfect Being exifted, they attributed to him, without proof, every thing that they confidered as a perfection. The pfalmift fhews, by a furer way, that there is a God fupremely juft, and fupremely good. It is neceffary, in order to convince a ra tional being of the juftice and goodness of God, to follow fuch a method as that which we follow

to prove his existence. When we would prove the existence of God, we say, there are creatures; therefore, there is a Creator. In like manner, when we would prove, that the Creator is a juft and a good Being, we fay, there are qualities of goodness and juftice in creatures; therefore, he, from whom thefe creatures derive their existence, is a Being juft and good. Now this is the reafoning of the pfalmift, in this pfalm: The Lord loveth righteousness and judgment, the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord, ver. 5. that is to fay, it is impoffible to confider the works of the Creator, without receiving evidence of his goodness. All the works of nature, which demonftrate the goodness of God, prove his juftice

alfo

alfo; for God hath created us with fuch difpofi tions, that we cannot enjoy the gifts of his good. nefs without obeying the laws of his righteouf nefs. The happinefs of an individual, who procures a pleafure by difobeying the laws of equity, is a violent happiness, which cannot be of long duration; and the profperity of public bodies, when it is founded in iniquity, is an edifice, which with its bafes will be prefently funk and gone.

ན་

But what we would particularly remark is, that the excellent principles of the pfalmift, concerning God, are not mere fpeculations, but truths from which he derives practical inferences; and he aims to extend their influence beyond private perfons, even to.legiflators and conquerors. One would think, confidering the conduct of mankind, that the confequences, which are drawn from the doctrines of which we have been speaking, belong to none but to the dregs of the people; that law-givers and conquerors have a plan of morality peculiar to themselves, and are above the rules to which other men muft fubmit. Our prophet had other notions. What are his maxims of policy? They are all included in thefe words: Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom be bath chosen for bis own inheritance, ver. 12. What are his military maxims? They are all included in thefe words: There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength: An borse is a vain thing for safety; neither shall he deliver any by his great strength, ver. 16, 17. Who propofeth these maxims? A hermit, who never appeared on the theatre of the world? or a man deftitute of the talents neceffary to fine there? No: one of the wifeft of kings; one of the most bold and able generals; a man, whom God himself elected to govern his chofen people, and to command

thofe

thofe armies, which fought the most obftinate battles, and gained the most complete victories. Were I to proceed in explaining the fyftem of the pfalmift, I might prove, that as he had a right to infer the doctrine of Providence from the works of nature, and that of the moral attributes of God from the works of creation; fo, from the doctrines of the moral attributes of God, of Providence, and of the works of creation, he had a right to conclude, that no conquerors or law-givers could be truly happy, but those who acted agreeably to the laws of the juft and good Supreme. But I fhall not enlarge on this article.

Permit me only to place in one point of view the different phrafes, by which the pfalmift defcribes the Deity in this pfalm. "The earth is

full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the hoft of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the fea together, as an heap he layeth up the depth in ftorehouses. The Lord looketh from heaven: he beholdeth all the fons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; he confidereth all their works," ver. 5-7, 13-15.

From these fpeculative ideas of God, he derives the following rules of practice. "Let all the earth fear the Lord let all the inhabitants of the world ftand in awe of him. Our foul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our fhield. For our heart fhall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us according as we hope in thee," ver. 8, 20—22. How delightful it is, my brethren, to fpeak of God, when one hath talents to fpeak of him in fuch a noble manner, and when one intends to promote the fear and the love of him, with an univerfal obedience to him, from all that is faid! How well it becomes F fuch

fuch a man to praise God! The praise of the Lord is comely in the mouths of upright men. II. Let us now apply the subject more immediately to the fervice of this day. To praise God is a phrafe, which is fometimes taken, in a particular fenfe, for the exercife of a perfon, who, having received fingular favours of God, delights" in-expreffing his gratitude to him. This praise

1s comely in the mouth of an upright man, for four reafons.

Firft. Because he arrangeth them in their true order, highly eftimating what deferves a high esteem, and most highly eftimating what deferves the highest esteem.

Secondly. Because he employs all his benefite in the fervice of his benefactor.

Thirdly. Because, while he recounts his bleffings, he divefts himself of all merit, and afcribes them only to the goodness of God from whom they proceed.

Fourthly. Becaufe he imitates that goodness and love, which inclined God to blefs him in fuch

a manner.

I will affix to each of these reflections a single word. Praise, or if you will, gratitude, is comely for the upright, because it is wise, real, humble, and magnanimous: In these four refpects, praise is comely for the upright. Thefe are the fentiments, with which the holy facrament, of which we have taken this morning, should infpire us. Thefe are the most important reflections, with which we can close this difcourfe.

1. The gratitude of upright men is wise. The praife of the Lord becomes them well, because, while they blefs God for all their mercies, they arrange them in their proper order; they prize. each according to its real worth, and that moft of all which is of the greatest value. It is a very mortifying reflection, my brethren, that the more we study ourselves, the more clearly we perceive, that