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not foresee: The same power can destroy the whole fabric of nature in a single moment, so as to leave no traces of its former existence. "He removeth the mountains, and they know it not: he overturneth them in his anger: he commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars. He shaketh the Earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble: the pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at his reproof: the mountains quake at him, and the hills melt; and the earth is burnt at his presence."

6. "The omniscience of God is celebrated in the Divine Records. His knowledge and wisdom are equal to his immense power: hence, all things which transpire in the world above, or in the earth beneath, are perfectly known to him. The whole system of the universe, the laws by which it is governed, with every event from first to last, are known to him"."

"The countless host of sinless angels, and the world of apostate ones; the long progeny of mankind, with all the designs, desires, and thoughts which have been in the mind of each individual, and all the words which have ever fled from their lips; fall under his notice. With infallible comprehension, he knows all the active principles of the spirits he has formed; how they will be moved by the presence of every object which can come before them; how they will act upon every temptation that can try them, and in every circumstance in which they can be placed."

The following passages of Holy Writ direct us to form such conceptions of the blessed God. "Great is our Lord, and great is his power; his understanding is infinite ":" the ways of man are before the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings: the eyes of the Lord are in every place: he looketh to the ends of *Job ix. 5-8. xxvi.11. Nah.i. 5. "Acts xv.18. ▾ Ps. cxlvii. 5.

the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven: the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: He knoweth the things that come into our minds, every one of them: "all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do*.

The wisdom evinced by God, in forming and executing his plans, argues that his knowledge is unlimited in the government of the universe: he so manages all its parts, that, whatever changes any of them undergo, their usefulness and connection with each other are uniformly preserved. He makes even the most adverse circumstances contribute to the promotion of his grand designs. The wickedness of man, the cruelty and artifices of Satan and his emissaries, are made to subserve (though unintentionally on their parts) his sovereign purposes. He overrules the fall of our First Parents, to make room for the most illustrious exercise of mercy to their descendants".

Yet, in general, he chooses to accomplish his will by means, in human judgment, the most unlikely to succeed; in order to shew that "the excellency of the power" to perform it, is entirely of himself.

How wonderful is God! The more we consider His natural perfections, the higher must our admi'ration rise for who can meditate on the self-existence, eternity, immensity, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God, without, at the same time, feeling they are subjects too deep for any finite intellect to fathom. The little we know of 'him should lead us to exclaim, with Saint Paul, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His

Heb. iv. 13.

? Gen. iii. 15.

2 2 Cor. iv. 7.

judgments, and His ways past finding out! For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.

Amen.

ON THE MORAL PERFECTIONS OF GOD.

Hitherto we have spoken of the natural attributes and excellencies of the Deity. We now discourse about his moral perfections, which we can better understand; though a view of both claims for their glorious Possessor all possible reverence, confidence, love, and sincere obedience.

1. The enlarged goodness of the Lord demands our grateful acknowledgments: he delights in communicating blessings to his creatures: his kindness in providence extends to every part of his vast dominions. "The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works: he openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing: the eyes of all wait upon him; and he giveth them their meat in due season"."

Each and every human being is an object that attracts the parental regards of our Heavenly Father: all receive signal marks of his benevolence; and though he bestows on some a more abundant portion of temporal things than on others, yet he imparts to all that measure of good and happiness which are suited to their respective conditions.

The almost indiscriminate manner in which God exercises his benignity towards a wicked world clearly evinces that kindness exists in him, unmixed with those selfish motives which too often debase the charitable acts of frail creatures. He is not like us, who are partial in the distribution of our favours ..zz Rom. xi. 33—36. ..... Psalm cxlv. 9-163

towards those who please and benefit us in return: on the contrary, so irresistibly strong is his propensity to goodness, that he blesses his most determined adversaries: "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

But how conspicuous was the loving-kindness of God, when he freely gave his Son to die for us, in order that we might regain his forfeited favour, and with it a legal right to endless life. "In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins"."

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2. The mercy of God shines forth in the most glorious manner to the view of the world. It is legibly written in the Bible, with the finger of God, that even the vilest of the sons of men, if they will but renounce their sins, may derive comfort from the perusal of it. When he passed before Moses his faithful servant, he proclaimed his character, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and trans gression and sind." Hence we learn, Hence we learn, that mercy in God is excited by the misery of man, as the cause of its exercise. Mercy pardons the wretched sinner who deserves to die, gratuitously, for its own sake. Now if God were not thus "rich in mercy" to the penitent, his holiness and goodness would only increase the guilt and despair of a conscious transgressor. But, to allay the fears of the contrite, and inspire them with a cheering hope of forgiveness, he

Mat. v. 45. 1 John iv. 9, 10. Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.

has made a most gracious proclamation, by which he invites the most rebellious to return to a state of dutiful obedience to him. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

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Lest the unholy should be afraid to approach his footstool, or be ready to despair of obtaining mercy, on account of the heinous character of their offences, God, though the offended party, deigns to solicit them to enter into a conference with him, in order that the matter in debate may be amicably settled. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Lest even these affectionate overtures should not remove every doubt of God's willingness to pardon the most criminal offenders, when they sincerely apply to him, because he could swear by no greater, he swears by himself: "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked;""wherefore turn yourselves, and live yes.".

The mercy of God will be found, in fact, to correspond with the declarations of it in his word.

When Adam, who was previously happy in the enjoyment of God's favour, listened to the wicked suggestions of the Devil, and provoked his Maker to destroy him; instead of hurling vengeance on the head of the first and most flagrant offender, who had so foully insulted him, and so completely ruined both himself and his posterity, the goodness of God shone with a lustre which nothing could exceed; for Isa. lv. 7. fib. i. 18.

Ezek. xxxiii. 11. ib. xviii. 32.