nefs. They obeyed, and lived. But it was not known, that his goodness was fuch, that he could find it in his heart, to fhew mercy to finners to make the facrifice revealed in the gospel-to iffue the invitations of his grace-to furnish fuch means to wait with longfuffering mercy on ungrateful abufers of every grace-and finally to come, in the power of the Holy Ghoft, and renew the hearts of multitudes, and train them, amidst a thousand provocations, for the world of glory. But this, you fee exhibited in tranfcendant glory, in the government of Chrift. Here I conceive, angels must look, for the most expreffive evidence of the goodnefs of God. This affords them the fulleft confidence, that God will be faithful to his promifes to them. Here goodness glows in fupreme perfection. How fuperior to the manifestation of it, in the dealings of God, with holy angels, who never have offended! In this government of Chrift, there is an unfpeakably greater difplay of the wisdom of God, and his ability to govern the univerfe, than we have any reafon to fuppofe, had ever been made before. No doubt, God manifefted unfearchable wisdom, in his providential government, before this world was created.. He did this in his dealings with the angels. But was it ever seen, as it is in his management of fuch a world as this? Here is a world of finners in confufion. All the malice and devices of men and devils, are combined against the kingdom of Chrift, which he is erecting among men. Every artifice and weapon is employed to overthrow it. And yet Zion lives, and increases, and Chrift fo controls, and manages all events, and has done it already, for thousands of years, that with their whole influence, true as the needle to the pole, they fubferve his purpofes, accomplish his plan, bring glory to his name, and bleffings to his people. "O the depth of the riches, both of the wifdom and knowledge of God ! How unfearchable are his judg ments, and his ways paft finding Out!" Your own heart informs you, that God is the portion of his people, and that the manifestations of his perfections are the riches of the univerfe. These perfections Chrift has brought into view, in fuch advanced glory, that I shall not wonder if you are ready to fay, that they appear a thousand fold more glorious and illuftrious, than if the gospel scheme had never been adopted-if Adam and his race had retained original purity, and no advance had been made on the dif coveries, which God had given of himself, in his dealings with the elect and apoftate angels. And if Adam had stood, by the covenant of works; or if on his tranfgref fion, he had been immediately fentenced to hell, by an irreverfible decree of juftice, without the offers of mercy, no advance would have been made in government, by any thing effentially new, and comparatively little would have been added to the glory of God, or the happiness of his friends. But this world was created for the glory of God, and the public good. Chrift undertook the government of it, to answer thefe purposes. He fucceeds. In proportion as he brings the glory of God into the view of his friends, he increases their eternal happiness. How inexpreffibly more exalted then, will be the hap pinefs of his faints, than if Adam had stood? You will not now be difficulted to affign the reafon, why the an gels are fo intent in their obferva- | thing to be inhabitants of this tions, on the things of this world. world-veffels, in which will be They look to the dealings of Chrift expreffed the riches of God's with our world, to fee the moft grace and mercy; or veffels of perfect manifeftations of the glo- wrath, fitting for destruction, by ries of their God. Thefe are the which, God will fhew his wrath, things, which inflame their love, and make his power known.and fix them in an extacy of ado- That God would glorify the riches ration and praise. of his grace, by multing the veffels of his mercy, is think, the fincere prayer, of I think, you will alfo conclude, that the guilt of mankind is incomparably greater, than that which banished the finning angels from heaven, or Adam from paradife. It certainly feems to me, that our fins are committed against greater manifeftations of the divine char Your affectionate friend, J. Sin neceffarily leads to mifery-in this world and the next. not eafily drawn to acter. And we have been guilty Mbelieve, and habitually to of innumerable tranfgreffions, and those against the obligations of redeeming love; whereas they were guilty of but one fin, before their condemnation became unavoidable. When you contemplate on the immenfe advance, which Chrift has made, of the knowledge of God, and how he has enriched the univerfe, I am perfuaded, you will fay it was glorious in God to create fuch a world as this, and to manage it as he has done. Your heart will be drawn forth in praife, and you will be ready, to call on all his intelligent crcatures, to praife him for it. You will fay in your heart, that this world, juft as it is, is an excellent world, and that God in creating and govern ing it, deferves the admiration of his people. The earth is full of the glory of the Lord. It is no wonder, that Chrift, who makes fuch rich difcoveries of God, is precious to them that believe, I have no doubt, but that, if your keart is right, you will more highly esteem him for this, than for any temporal, or eternal bleffings, which refpect only your own foul. I cannot clofe my letter, without redeting, that it is a folemn feel the power of fentiments, which cross their prevailing inclinations and favorite practices of living. Hence it comes, that the reprefentation of eternal mifery to follow an impenitent life, is fo hardly received by mankind; fome wholly difbelieving the event, and others trying to doubt; altho they cannot wholly filence the premonitions of confcience. It is ftrange there fhould be fuch doubts, when nature and providence are filled with evidence, that the wages of fin is death." If we were impartial, and could look without prejudice on the nature and government of things; we fhould fee that there is a provision for the fulfilment of the original threatening; and that the execution hath commenced, is continually going on, and haftening to a complete fulfilment. When the fcriptures affure us, that the wages and end of fin, are death, no more is foretold, than we may look on the . world and fee actually taking place every day; no more than ferious obfervation must discover in our own pains, difeafes, decay, diffatisfaction, difappointments, and the forebodings of an evil confcience. | bling, they form refolutions of a Sinners are not only condemned mendment, which are forgotton already; but the execution began, when their trials are removed; and in the moment, that the firft crime they go on, in fecure and pleafwas committed. Surely, it is ing hope, altho the fentence of strange to hear thofe, who are fuf. God remains indelibly written, fering the beginning of death, de- "the end of these things is death." ny that it will be perfected, accor -Nor do they confider the fubding to the fure word of God; ject enough, to fee how every fo farere hath heen opportu- thing, in nature and providence, nity for experience, we have found portends a certain execution of the the infinite truth of God. He divine threatening. The power hath, from the beginning of the of God is fteadily and irrefiftibly world, been going on in the fulfil-working! He paufes not, he ftops ment of his prediction. It hath not in his courfe to confider what been a general rule, that individu- fhall next be done; but with an als, families and nations have been infinite energy is executing the emiferable, in proportion as they ternal counfels of his will, which have been finful. As there have must terminate in the death of been many kinds and degrees of finners if they remain impenitent. fin; fo there have been of misery. As fin hath often been clothed in the dress of virtue, and called by great and facred names; fo mifery, hath often been disguised with the outfide covering of earthly profperity and mirthful folly but if men's hearts could be opened to human infpection; and if the wretchedness of enmity, unfatisfied defires, vain wishes, and a foreboding confcience, could be accurately infpected, it would be known that the wages of fin have from the beginning been death. No man is fatisfied in himself. All are trying for an alteration in their state; altho many do it, in a manner, that must eventually increase their unhappiness. Many are deluded with vain hopes and expectations, which have no foundation in na-required in the gospel of Christ, ture, nor any encouragement from muft go to a ftate of mifery. experience and the word of God. If the letter of the threatening, at any time, alarms their confciences, they rest in an attempt to explain away its sruth and certainty; or if fome unhappiness, greater than the common courfe of life, brings them to confideration and trem The death threatened muft doubtlefs be allowed to mean, all that pain and mifery, both in the present and in the world to come, which take place in confequence of fin. Death in the world to come, ought to be most alarming in confideration; for however fevere or conftant the pains of this world may be, they cannot exceed the fhort duration of our earthly lives. But when we confider death as eternal, the fubject appears to be of infinite confequence. I propofe to illuftrate, from fundry confiderations in the exifting nature of things, of the rational mind, and of focial relations, the certainty that those who leave the world, in an unholy state, and without fuch qualifications as are Although the teftimony of God be a fufficient evidence that finners without faith and repentance will be miferable hereafter; ftill, it is highly proper to increase our own conviction and diligence, by fuch rational confiderations, as nature and the subject suggest; and to fee how this unhappiness will arife, from the existence of unholy principles and paffions in the mind: and I fhall attend to this point, with a particular application, to the neceflity of our being renewed in the temper of our minds, by the Holy Spirit. 1. Those who appear little to regard the threatenings of revelation, do ftill generally concede it to be probable, that Almighty God and the place of his prefence are glorious in holiness. Even the felfishness of their hearts reluctates against the idea of a God, wholly deftitute of moral rectitude; left if this were the cafe they fhould fall under a tyrannical power. light in the infinite object of pious meditation and praife; and therefore they live without God in the world. Hence, alfo, it happens, that they diflike a scheme of doctrine, which continually brings. those duties into their view, & urges upon them, the neceffity of a new heart and of a pious life. Thefe are facts, which many can witness, from a recollection of their own paft feelings; and they are a pow erful evidence that every unfanctified finner is going into a state of miferable existence faft as time can roll him onward. This mifery will arife from the immoral nature of his own principles and affections, in view of fuch objects, as must conftantly be prefented to his fight. If God be holy, if heaven be holy and the creature be unholy, he must be unhappy when placed in a heavenly manfion. The confequence will undeniably follow from the premises. Thus the finner's feelings as he goes on thro life; his difrelifh of the divine rectitude and commandments; and of the appointed duties of prayer and praife, prove a prefent evidence of his future mifery, if he do not come to evangelical repentance and a love of God. Sinful men, need only be acquainted with their own hearts, to become affured of one, of thefe two truths; either that their hearts must be changed by the spirit of God, or that they are going to endless unhappiness. But how can an unholy and unrenewed finner be happy in going to the holy prefence and place of God? Doth not the holiness and Atrict fpirituality of the law make it difagreeable to finners? Is it not the holy and fpiritual nature of reJigious worship, that renders them fo deficient in their attendance and fo formal and hypocritical when they offer to attend? Is it not the holinefs of God, which renders meditations on his being and a fenfe of his prefence fo difquieting, that finners wifh to put away the great the awful fubject of contemplation?-Hence arifes that neglect of religious duties, in which many live, while clearly inftructed in their nature and importance. Hence comes their diflike of pions difcourfe of religious companions and of frequent feafons to praife and pray to God. Hence their backwardnefs to feel his providence, and truft in the divine aids of his power and goodness for what they need; and to feek hision with the faints, who delight in glory conftantly and confecrate thefe employments. But how can their all to his fervice. They have thofe, who take no delight in fuch no tafte for fuch employments-no objects and employments, think relish for fuch duties and no de of being happy by a removal to a Heaven, is every where defcribed, as being a near approach to God; a life filled with praife and adoration; as perfect love and obedience to the law; and the moft intimate and perfect commun the facred injunction, the inftitution of the fabbath is exceedingly wife. Viewed merely with refpe&t to the prefent ftate of man it was defigned for falutary purposes and anfwers valuable ends. Was there no future ftate, religion in general, and the fanctification of the fabbath in particular would be attended with happy confequences. The peace and good order of fociety would be greatly promoted. The temporal benefits which it but are certainly very proper to be mentioned in demonftrating the wisdom of the appointment and obfervance of the day. world, where this is the only bleffednefs? If they cannot delight in the law of God here, how will they be be made bleffed by paffing into a condition, where the law is more clearly feen, and more perfectly obeyed. If a fight of God, in the infinite holinefs of his nature and his omniprefent Being, gives pain to their reflection now; will they not be more pained to come near, even to his tribunal and his throne, and behold him in that clearness, with which he is difcov-confers are not its chief glory, ered in heaven, to the fight of thofe adoring millions, who worship around his throne, and ceafe not day and night, to offer praife and glory, and dominion to him and to Its original inftitution was at the Lamb who was flain? Truly the conclufion of the work of creGod is gracious, and there is a ation. The Almighty rested from Redeemer able to fave unto the ut- all the works which he had made, termoft, those who love and trust and blessed the seventh day and him; but if men are not prepared fanctified it. According to its orifor heaven, it is the height of fin-ginal defign continues, through ning folly, to think they can efcape fucceffive ages, a period of rest for the sentence of eternal truth, and man and beast. Toils ceafe and the courfe of nature. exhausted nature becomes refreshed. Such is the conftitution of man that ceafeless activity foon unnerves and deftroys his vigour. Inceffant labour would defeat its very purposes, and instead of advancing would retard the progrefs in the active pursuits of life. Exertion too violent or too long continued will deftroy the tone and energy of the bodily fyftem. Feeblenefs will be the neceffary refult. The gofpel was never defigned to repeal the law of God, nor to change the law of nature, that men must be unhappy, when all the obobjects around them, and the employments in which they are engaged, are contrary to the taste of their minds. I (To be continued.) it The great mafs,-by far the greater proportion of mankind are neceffitated to engage in laborious purfuits. Even the kind departure of the day and the welcome Political benefits of the Sabbath. Nan age when the duties of the fabbath are fo greatly neglected and the day itfelf fo much defpifed by many, it may not be improper or unprofitable to endeav-approach of the fhades of night, or to fhew that its obfervance is at tended with important benefits of a political nature. Thefe bear no comparifon with thofe which are moral, but are by no means fmall. Independent of any morality or VOL. I. No. 6. afford but a partial relief to their weary limbs an incompetent refreshinent to nature exhausted with fatigue. The ftated return of a day on which all ufual occupations are to ceafe-fecular employments Cc |
