right hand of power," in heaven, to intercede for those for whom he shed his blood, will he not be ready to direct us to the consideration, that we have been brought through this lower world, by the hand of God, and that the whole strange scene of time, with all its lights and shades, has been employed to heighten the grandeur and beauty of eternity? Yes; we verily believe, yea, more, we know, from the perfections of Almighty God, that it must be so. The Redeemer taught, while among men, that not a sparrow can fall to the ground without our heavenly Father's notice; and that the very hairs of our heads, are all numbered; and can we doubt, for a moment, that this sublime and transporting thought, will be pressed home upon the mind, and carried out in all its wonderful and benevolent bearings, when we shall be translated from the darkness of time, to the light of eternity? No, no; No, no; we shall then be brought to realize, in all the grandeur and grace, and sublimity of the thought, that the Lord reigns, and does his will and pleasure in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. We shall discover how everything has been directed by the unerring hand of God, so as to secure the

good he designed; how the darkness as well as the light, the discord as well as the harmony, the evil as well as the good, have all been made tributary to the one great end, which is the prompting of benevolence; and, that whatever part we may have acted in the drama of human life, has been made by the wise direction of God, to contribute to the perfection of the consummation. Will it not be so? Yes, the perfections of God, are a pledge that it must be so.

In view of such knowledge how will the soul be filled with admiration, with gratitude, and the transports of delight! And where, O! where will there be room for remorse or regret when the soul is thus filled with the glory of the Divine character? There will be no room. All that is unlike God will be driven out and forgotten forever! Why, even in this dim world of ours, when one is fully converted to God, realizes the mercy which has forgiven his sins, and assured him of the everlasting favor and affection of heaven, he is filled with the fulness of joy, and rejoices in the fulness of glory. He forgets, in his admiration, the sins that weighed him down in condemnation and wrath, and seems to be standing in the presence of God, where all is

pure and beautiful and felicitous! How much more, then, shall it be so, when we shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, translated into the immediate presence of God, and behold him as he is!

But it will be asked, will it not have an evil tendency upon men, to teach them that all evil will be overruled for good? Will not men say, let us do evil that good may come? I answer no; this is the very doctrine that must sanctify the soul and keep it from sin. If, when God revealed to Joseph his future exaltation, the brethren had been possessed of a perfect faith in a God of love, who does everything for the highest possible good, and consequently believed that if Joseph was to be exalted above them, it would be a work of mercy and justice, could they have been excited with envy? No. If they had had faith in the revelation made to Joseph, they would have labored to do that which seemed necessary to bring about the exaltation, instead of trying to frustrate it. And had it been made known to them, that it was necessary that Joseph should go into Egypt, as a slave, and to pass through severe trials to his destined eminence, then they could have sold him just as they did, and there would

have been no sin in the case; for they would, with God, have "meant it unto good." It was want of faith in the overruling power of a God of infinite wisdom and goodness that made them envious and cruel. Such Such a faith would have kept enmity from their hearts and caused the hands of violence to have lain powerless at their sides.

The want of such a faith is the principle cause of all the wickedness among men.Just let the inhabitants of this world live in the firm and unwavering persuasion, that a God of infinite love controlled every thing in infinite wisdom, for the greatest possible good of all beings, and that there can be no such thing as choosing a better way, and how soon would all things be changed in human character and condition. This world would no longer be a "revolted dominion of Jehovah's empire." There would be no hatred towards God or man. The divine laws would never be maliciously violated. So far as moral conduct is concerned this would be a very perfect world.

But men lack faith in the wisdom, and goodness, and power of God, and therefore do they sin. They are unreconciled to the ways of Providence; they have but little c

no faith in the wisdom, and goodness of God to devise and execute the best possible plan to secure the highest interests of his creatures. They, therefore, do not hesitate to trample under foot what are revealed as the laws of Heaven, and trust to their own wisdom to devise a better plan, and to secure a better portion. All this comes from a want of faith in a God of infinite perfection who rules with absolute control. But in the same proportion that such a faith is exercised, in the same proportion does man become reconciled to God; the will is swallowed up in his will, and to abide in his service is the soul's delight.

It is true that we have never seen but one example of a perfect faith on earth. That was in Jesus Christ; and how exalted in all that is pure and godlike, was the life it produced! How it overcame the world, and enabled him to go through it without receiving a single stain upon the bright escutcheon of his character. He believed, that in comparison, there is none good but God, and that this God of goodness controlls all things, from the mightiest to the meanest, from unnumbered worlds to the fall of a sparrow. In this faith he lived and moved, while on earth; and it kept him in constant communion and associa