whence did you derive all those noble qualities of love, mercy, and goodness? He replies, from my Father, God! Now, we must grant, that God far exceeds him in goodness, because this noble creature is but an emanation from him; and the good desires of this creature would be equal to the good desires of the countless millions of men and angels in all worlds; and could have no other intentions only those which goodness and mercy dictate, and goodness itself can do nothing contrary to its own nature, any more than ice can burn, or fire freeze. This creature would desire the happiness of all; and yet even he is but a small rivulet flowing from the crystal FOUNTAIN of life and being! This creature would institute a government perfectly merciful; and mercy would, of course, require, that the disobedient should be punished to bring them to obedience, and perfect them in the same state of glorification and love with that being itself.

"God is love," and it therefore follows, that he is love to every creature he has made, and it is utterly impossible that he can do any thing contrary to his own nature. "He cannot deny himself." He will, therefore, do all that love dictates. It is consistent with parental love to punish for the good of its offspring, but not to punish unmercifully. But, inquires the objector, does God punish for the good of his creatures?

will let Paul settle this question; Heb. xii. 6-11. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth..... But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Now show us, if you can, any punishment which God inflicts, that contradicts his paternal goodness. It cannot be done. He has threatened and inflicted everlasting punishment upon nations, as such, but not a solitary passage can be produced from Genesis to Revelations, where he has threatened any individual with everlasting punishment.

God is the adorable Fountain of all tenderness, love, and compassion, and no mother's soul was imbued in the fount of mercy like his, who was "the brightness of his glory and the express image of his perfections." True, her yearnings over the babe of her bosom are great; still they

bear but little comparison to the love of him who breathed those feelings there. God compares

himself to the mother. "Can a woman forget her sucking child?" Woman, being of a more delicate formation than man, possesses a mind susceptible of more fine, deep, and lasting impressions than his. The affections of her soul, when fully roused into action, and fixed upon their object, are deeper than those of man, extend far beyond the compass line of his, and range those sequestered haunts, those delightful fields of mental felicity, where his finest affections never penetrated. Let her heart once become fixed upon its darling object, and it is immaterial in what situation in life we contemplate her,whether prosperous or adverse, we behold the same unshaken constancy, the same bright and burning flame. Her love to her children is pure as the dew drops of the morning, high as the heavens, and unchanging as the sun. It scorns dictation, bids defiance to oppression, and never for one moment loses sight of its object. No disappointments that cross her path, no scenes of adverse fortune that darken her sky, can wrench it from her grasp, obscure it from her vision, or tear asunder the silken cord, that binds it to her heart.

The truth of these remarks we see verified in that unwearied watchfulness and care, which she

exercises over her children, in supplying their countless and ever varied little wants; in allaying their little griefs, in soothing their tender hearts by the soft whispers of encouragement and love, in hushing them to repose, and in watching over the slumbers of their pillow. Are her children exposed to danger, and full in her view? Then no devouring flame, that wraps her dwelling in destruction, no rolling surges, that lash the foaming main, can, in such a moment of peril, overawe her spirit, or deter her from rushing into the very jaws of death to save them. Are they sick? Sleepless she sits beside their bed, and watches every breath they draw. Are they racked with pain? Her soul inhales the pang; and freely drinks at the same fount of agony, and breathes over them the prayer of mercy. Love is that attribute in her nature to which all the others are subservient. It is the shrine at which they all bow, the centre to which they all gravitate. If her children do wrong, she freely forgives.

Has God given the mother all these noble affections, and does he feel less to his helpless, sinful, and erring children? Let God answer. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee."

SERMON XVI.

ON FORGIVENESS.

[Concluded.]

IN our last, we showed that the compassion, tenderness, and love of our Father in heaven, are the origin of all the sublime affections in the human bosom, and from this acknowledged fact, have shown that he is infinitely more regardful of the welfare of his offspring than the tender mother, with whom he compares himself, is of the welfare of her sucking child. We now resume the subject.

In our text, we are called upon to forgive one another, as God has forgiven us. In examining this point, we are to be guided by what he has revealed. The question here arises, How many does God command us to forgive? He commands us to forgive all, even our enemies. This then must be forgiving them as he does. He therefore forgives all. He commands us to bless them that curse us, and to pray for them that despitefully use us, and persecute us, that we may be the children of our Father in heaven. Does God command us to do more than he is willing to do himself? No, he lives up to his own command. If God requires us to forgive, even as he