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suppose God has of him, or his services; but from mere grace, from the overflowing mercy and goodness of his Creator.

With this subject sinners usually begin wrong; and thence both think and act, in a manner dangerously erroneous. Usually, at least, they place all their hopes in themselves; in something, which they are; something, which they have done; or something which they have not done; their importance in the Divine kingdom; some goodness of character, which they suppose themselves to possess; or their freedom from sin, existing in such a degree as to make it impossible for God to punish them hereafter. These, to say the least, are all mistaken and unhappy foundations on which to rest our hopes of salvation. The true ground of a sinner's hope is not, that he is so good, or in so small a degree wicked; not that he is undeserving of punishment; but that God is so willing to forgive his sin. On this foundation he may safely build his hopes. All else is sand: this is a rock which can never be moved.

9. This doctrine teaches every Christian to feel and acknowledge, that both his character and his hopes, are all derived from the Sovereign Pleasure of God.

Look into your hearts and lives, my Brethren; and ask yourselves whether there is, or ever was, any thing in them, which, even in your own opinion, God could consider as a reason why he should sanctify and save you. Is there, has there ever been, any thing in your character or your conduct, which you are able to allege as a reason why God should receive you into his favour? When you take a retrospect of what you have been, or what you have done; do you find any thing by which you would be willing to be tried, and on the ground of which you would be willing to have your allotments fixed for eternity? You are undoubtedly accustomed, at times, to examine the foundation of your hopes. In such examinations, on what have you reposed yourselves? Has it been your own righteousness; or has it been the merits of your Redeemer, and the mercy of your Creator?

You are often summoned to the table of Christ. Mark the wonders which it presents to your view. Consider who He was, that and what he suffered.

is here commemorated; what he did;

Re

member, that stones of the street might have been in your place;

animated with living souls; changed into men, better than yourselves; and now looking forward with brighter hopes of a happy eternity.

With this affecting consideration in full view, let each of you ask himself, "Why was I made to hear the voice of the Son of God, and live? Why was I not a Heathen, an Intidel, an Atheist? Why was I not cast off forever? Why am I not now weeping and wailing in the blackness of darkness and suffering the vengeance of eternal fire? Why am I permitted to sing the praises of forgiving, redeeming, and sanctifying love? Why am I permitted to rejoice in innumerable blessings, which are past; and to supplicate for more, and greater blessings, yet to come? Why can I look forward to death, the grave, and the Judgment, not only without horror, but even with hope? Why am I able on the wings of faith to enter eternity, and humbly to expect as my unchangeable portion there an exceeding and eternal weight of glory?" In answer to all these questions you will be compelled to exclaim, "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."

SERMON VIII.

GOD'S WAYS NOT AS OUR WAYS.

ISAIAH IV. 8, 9.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith JEHOVAH.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways; and my thoughts than your thoughts.

WHENEVER We consider, originally, a revelation of the Will of God as a subject of investigation, we are, perhaps always, prepared either to discover, or to imagine, difficulties, attending such a work. That it may be attended with difficulties, is universally admitted; that it must be, is to my own mind equally evident. Of these some will owe their origin to our disposition, and others to our ignorance. The disposition of man is evidently opposed to what must be the will of so perfect and glorious a being as God, and to the duties which such a being cannot fail to require. The actual expressions of the will of God in his providence are, in multiplied instances, strenuously opposed by our race. Το question, to murmur, and to rebel against, the Divine Government is extensively, as well as plainly, characteristical of man, and clearly congenial to the human heart. A revelation, disclosing to us further accounts of the divine pleasure, and making it more distinctly known, must accord with those parts of that pleasure, which are discovered in creation and providence. It must, therefore, be regarded as a thing of course, that we should be prepared to find fault with such a revelation. Nay, it ought to be expected, that we should murmur against it with more dis

satisfaction, and oppose it with more hostility, because it would more distinctly unfold the will of its Author. If the character and pleasure of God, when seen imperfectly, awaken dislike; the same things, when more fully seen, must awaken greater dislike in the same mind.

But all the difficulties, attending such a work, do not arise from our dispositions. Not a small number of them are derived from our ignorance. The works of God are filled with difficulties of this nature. It is rationally to be supposed, that such a revelation would, in greater or less degrees, be fraught with them also. When things, which we have not known before, are revealed to us; the revelation necessarily communicates various other things, with which those are inseparably connected. The things revealed are naturally attended with the same difficulties, or at least with a part of them, which are found in the works of God; and the things, connected with these, and necessarily yet imperfectly disclosed in such a revelation, must involve more if not greater difficulties, from the imperfection of the disclosure. As the field of knowledge is boundless; and as our faculties continue the same, whatever the revelation may be; our perplexities must increase with every enlargement of its discoveries. Every thing revealed to us, must of course disclose, imperfectly, many with which it is connected and our perplexities must multiply at every step in the progress of the revelation.

Accordant with this account, I readily acknowledge, is the nature of the Scriptures; the professed revelation of the character, and will, of God. There are in this volume many things, which are hard to be understood; difficulties, which will seem such to a mind well disposed; which will puzzle all readers, and leave most not unfrequently in the dark.

To show that these things are no objections against the Scriptures, and ought not for a moment to perplex those who believe in them, or hinder the faith of those who do not, is the design of the following discourse. It is my intention to show, that these difficult and incomprehensible things are things of course, and in the nature of the case necessary and unavoidable. Should I succeed in this attempt; it will be seen, that no difficulty, which becomes such merely because we cannot unravel it or comprehend

its nature and connections, ought at all to hinder our belief. When the difficulty arises solely out of the complication and greatness of the subject, and the comparative littleness of our minds; it can never be an objection against the doctrine which it is supposed to embarrass. If this be not admitted, we are left without any means of obtaining satisfaction in our present state. Nor shall we be less at a loss, at every period of our existence. In whatever degree our faculties may hereafter be invigorated or our information enlarged, it will still be equally true, that the ways and works of God will, throughout eternity, be incomprehensible by our minds. Indeed, a little thought will convince us, that, the more we know, the more we shall perceive which is yet to be known. All this will to us be mysterious. The objects, which are partially understood, will ever involve mysteries and, as these objects are multiplied, mysteries will be also multiplied.

The thoughts of God. mentioned in the text, naturally denote his Plans, or Counsels; and the ways of God, his Counsels carried into execution; or, in other words, his Works, both of creation and providence. These in the text are said to be higher than ours as the heavens are higher than the earth: i. e. they are immeasurably distant from ours, and incomprehensibly more exalted.

With these explanations, it will be easily seen, that the text declares the following doctrines.

I. That the purposes, plans, and actions, of God, are exceedingly unlike ours; and,

II. That they are beyond measure more noble, and excellent,

than ours.

To illustrate these doctrines, and to derive from them some practical remarks, will be the combined object of this discourse.

1st. That the purposes, plans, and actions, of God are exceedingly unlike ours is easily, and unanswerably, evinced by a comparison of the character of God with that of ourselves.

We are but just introduced into existence. Our powers are feeble, and very limited. Our knowledge is scarcely begun; and at the same time is mingled with many errors. The constitution, by which we hold our present life, is absolutely dependent, frail, crushed before the moth, and hastening to the grave. We are also sinful creatures. Our disposition is plainly opposed to the will of

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