Independently of Revelation, Man is left to the sentence of mere justice and rigid laws. By these he is of course condemned. He is in fact a sinner; and must therefore be pronounced guilty, in the day of trial. In this situation, Reason finds, and leaves him; and to this situation, Infidelity conducts him again. Without the mediation of Christ, there is no escape from the sentence of the divine law; and Revelation itself furnishes no other way in which mercy can be extended to sinning man.

According to the most comfortable scheme of Infidelity, you must go to the Judgment on the footing of your own righteousness; and be tried by your own obedience. If you have faithfully obeyed God, you will be acquitted; if not, you must be condemned. If, then, Justification, acceptance, and future happiness; if deliverance from wrath, and escape from ruin, are necessary to you; the Mediation of Christ, and the Revelation which alone brings this mediation to your knowledge, or furnishes you with a hope of sharing in its blessings, are equally necessary.

3dly. These considerations strongly enforce the guilt and danger of Cruelty.

A merciful God, who esteems this attribute as the glory and consummation of his own excellence, cannot fail to detest supremely the opposite character, wherever it is found. These are the two extremes of the moral Nature: the former supremely lovely; the latter supremely hateful. Thus God has declared in the Scriptures; and thus mankind have also testified in all ages and nations. The awful parable of the servant who owed ten thousand talents, brings this subject home to the heart with the greatest force, of which language is capable. His debt to his Lord, great as it was, was freely forgiven. But, for his cruelty to his fellow-servant, he was thrust into prison, and delivered over to the tormentors, until he should pay the ten thousand talents, which he owed. In what an affecting manner does this story exhibit the indignation of God against unkindness and oppression? How plainly does he here teach us, that this sin is pre-eminently provoking in his sight, and beyond most, if not all, others, the cause of absolute rejection and endless suffering. Let every cruel, every unfeeling, man tremble at this terrible exhibition of the views, entertained by a merciful God concerning his odious and detestable character.

4th. These considerations furnish the strongest inducements to the exercise of Mercy.

In the great kingdom of Providence, how many blessings are continually provided by the hand of God for the evil and unthankful race of Adam! In spite of all their innumerable provocations; in spite of their impiety, idolatry, lewdness, falsehood, oppressions, wars and devastations; notwithstanding this great world has been from the beginning a temple of idols, a house of pollution, and a field of blood; the sun continually arises; the rain descends; the fields blossom; the harvests ripen: the seasons are fruitful; and

the hearts of men are filled with food and gladness. In the divine precepts, the same glorious disposition reigns; and mankind are required, with infinite obligation, to imitate and assume this exalted character; to be merciful as their Father who is in heaven is merciful. In the promises of the Gospel, we are allured to this most amiable of all conduct by the reward of immortal life and glory; and hear God himself declaring, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

In the threatenings, we are deterred from the contrary conduct by the fearful denunciation of eternal wo.

In the Mediation of our Redeemer, we are presented with a perfect example of the nature and effects, of this most lovely attribute; furnished by a life, of which this attribute was the soul and spirit; a life pure and excellent beyond all precedent, and all praise; and closed by a death full of shame and agony, voluntarily undergone from mere compassion to this perishing world, and beautified and adorned with this consummation of benevolence in its most divine form. In this we indeed behold the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Here we are drawn with cords of love, that we may run after him.

With these motives, with this example, before us, can we fail to forgive men their trespasses against us, and be kind to the evil and unthankful? Can we fail to deal our bread to the hungry, and to bring the poor, that are cast out, into our houses? When we see the naked, must we not be willing to cover him: must we not be unable to hide ourselves from our own flesh?

When this importunate and seductive world intrudes itself into the mind, and is insidiously busy in establishing its ascendency over the heart; when wealth is riveting its chains to fasten us in bondage; when ambition invites us to the high places of power and distinction, and promises, that we shall be as Gods in grandeur and glory; when pleasure informs us, that we have much goods laid up for many years, and bids us take our ease, eat, drink and be merry; in a word, when a temptation, sense, and sin, crowd around us, and prepare us to absorb all our affections in selfish gratification; let us look to the table of Christ, and remember, and behold, there, what he has done for us. If we are not hardened indeed; if we are not literally dead in trespasses and sins; we shall find it difficult, and I hope impossible, not to go, and in some measure do likewise. We shall, like him, love our enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again: we shall bless them that curse us, and pray for them who despitefully use us and persecute us. Then shall we indeed be the children of our Father who is in heaven, who maketh his Sun to arise on the evil, as well as on the good. Then shall our light break forth as the morning, and our health spring forth speedily: our righteousness shall go before us, and the glory of the Lord shall be our rereward.

SERMON XIII.

THE WISDOM OF GOD.

1 TIM. i. 17. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour, and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

IN this passage of Scripture, glory and honour are ascribed to God, in the character of the eternal, immortal, and invisible Ruler of all things, and also in that of God the only wise; with a solemn Amen subjoined to the ascription. When God is called the only Wise, it is not intended, that there is no other wisdom, beside that which is inherent in him; but that he is the source of all Wisdom, and wise to such a degree, as to render all other wisdom nothing in comparison with his. The Wisdom of God is, in other words, infinite; and shall now be the subject of our consideration.

The word Wisdom, is applied indifferently to the character, and to the conduct, of an Intelligent being. As applied to the latter, it denotes the choice of good ends, and the selection and adoption of good means for the accomplishment of them. As applied to the former, it denotes that Attribute, which thus chooses, selects and adopts.

Wisdom is, therefore, a compound attribute; being made up of the knowledge to discern, and the disposition to choose, the ends and means, which I have mentioned. The Wisdom of God is formed, therefore, of his Omniscience and Benevolence, united in planning, and accomplishing, all real good, in the progress of his immense and eternal kingdom.

It will not unnaturally be supposed, that, as the Omniscience and Benevolence of God have already been separately discussed, an examination of them, when combined in the attribute of wisdom, must be superfluous. I have at times adopted this opinion; but upon considering the propensity of our minds to dwell on these attributes, in this combination; a propensity encouraged abundantly by the Scriptures; and the frequency, with which the divine wisdom recurs, in forms very various and interesting, both in the conversation and writings of men, and the word of God, I have concluded, that a particular discussion of this subject would, if properly conducted, hold a useful place in this system of discourses.

After the arguments, adduced to prove the existence of these attributes, separately considered, it must, I presume, be unnecessary to allege any proofs of their existence in this combination. This discourse will, therefore, be employed only in illustrating this dignified subject, as it is exhibited in the various conduct of the Most High. From this vast field, also, a few examples only will be select

ed; it being neither necessary, nor possible, on this occasion, to extend such an investigation to any great length. The scheme of discourse, which I propose to pursue, is to mention,

1st. Summarily, such exemplifications of the divine wisdom, as are commonly insisted on; and

2dly. More particularly, some others, which have been less the objects of public attention; or which, at least, I have seen either very little, or not at all, discussed by others.

1st. I shall mention summarily such exemplifications of the divine wisdom, as are commonly insisted on.

Among the numerous subjects, included under this head, the heavens by their magnificence undoubtedly strike the eye with the greatest force and splendour. In all ages, contemplative men have regarded the illustrious objects, presented to us in this great field of observation, as eminently indicating the wisdom of God. O give thanks, says the Psalmist, unto Him, who alone doeth great wonders; who by wisdom made the heavens; who made great lights; the Sun to rule by day, and the moon and stars to rule by night; for his mercy endureth for ever. The Lord by wisdom, saith Solomon, hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. When he prepared the heavens, says Wisdom itself, speaking by the Voice of the same writer, I was there; when he set a compass on the face of the deep.

To us, whose views are enlarged, and rectified, by the modern astronomy, this subject is presented with an importance, which it could not have assumed in the mind of the ancients. To them, the size, proportions, distances, and uses, of the heavenly bodies were in a great measure unknown; and, where this was not the fact, were so partially known, as to leave the mind in many respects perplexed and lost. With our superior advantages, we discern the Sun to be a vast, luminous world, astonishingly greater than all the others united, which compose the solar system. All these we behold arranged around this glorious world as their common centre. To them the Sun communicates motion, light, regularity, and harmony; and to their inhabitants, life, and the means of sustaining it; food, raiment, warmth, and activity; and their consequences, usefulness, and enjoyment. This amazing scene of wonders, we have the most satisfactory reason to believe, is in a sense endlessly repeated in the stellary systems, diffused throughout the boundless expansion; and repeated with a similar display of divine wisdom in their regularity, harmony, and beauty. Even an Atheist must be compelled to confess, that in this scene there is a perfect and glorious accomplishment of just such things, as, in the view of the human mind, appear to be suited to the most perfect operations of the most perfect wisdom.

In the revolution of the Seasons, intimately connected with this subject, we behold an inferior, but still a splendid, display of the same magnificence; and an exhibition, not less affecting, of the

same glorious attribute. From the present position of the earth. are derived, in the different parts of its annual circuit, Summer and Winter, Seed-time and Harvest. It cannot be necessary for me to attempt a detail of the various methods, in which the divine Hand provides, through the instrumentality of the seasons, for the supply of our wants, the relief of our distresses, and the uninterrupted succession of our enjoyments. A child needs not to be informed, that all creatures wait upon God, that he may give them their meat in due season; and that he opens his hand, and satisfies the wants of every living thing.

Nearly allied to the revolution of the Seasons, is that, by which the world enjoys the vicissitude of day and night. The diurnal rotation of the earth, connected with the position of its axis, furnishes to all its parts an equal enjoyment of these two great affections of our globe; just as its annual revolution, connected with the same position, distributes the seasons, alternately, in a regular succession, over all the regions from the equator to the poles. By the day, man is enabled to pursue successfully all the business of life; and by the night is, at the necessary and most proper intervals, furnished with seasons of refreshment and rest. It ought to be remarked, that by means of the refrangibility of light, and the refractive power of the atmosphere, a portion of day is added to us every morning and every evening; and the light of the Sun conveyed to us, and withdrawn from us, in that gradual manner, which, while it is eminently beautiful and delightful, is at the same time the only manner, in which it could be comfortable, or perhaps tolerable, to our eyes.

A philosopher has made it an argument of the wisdom of God, and in my view justly, that the earth is clothed in green; a colour eminently easy, refreshing, and delightful to the eye.

In the provision made for the wants of men and animals, there are innumerable, as well as wonderful proofs of the Wisdom of God. The means, by which an ample supply for all these wants is continually furnished, were they not the objects of our daily inspection, and thus rendered so familiar, as to be in a great measure unregarded, would awaken in our minds, not approbation merely, but amazement. A single plant produces yearly a great number of seeds; so many as to furnish, in the ordinary course of providence, abundant assurance, that that kind of plant shall be continued throughout the successive ages of the world. As a further security, these seeds are, to a great extent at least, and in all probability universally, incorruptible, when lodged below the depth, within which vegetation springs; notwithstanding they are so easily dissoluble above that limit. By the latter circumstance, an easy, certain, and abundant vegetation is secured: by the former, seeds are treasured in the earth for long periods of time; whence by deep ploughing, digging, and other means, they are brought again within the region of vegetation, and spring in the same manner, as fresh seeds. I have been satisfactorily informed of the vegetation of seeds, which