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for those who have not called HIM to help them here.

By this tremendous thought the value of all others may be tried. It is pleasant to talk of the innocent things of this world; it is a holy joy to speak, with reverent language and half-drawn breath, of the mysteries of happiness in the world to come; but to rouse men who are slumbering on the way to Hell, we tell them that Death closes their account of sins committed and mercies received, that all their lost opportunities will then finally be placed against them. We shall be tempted here in one way or other for the Devil never ceases his efforts; but we may now resist, we may call for succour; we may and shall have it: yes, we are assured by the HOLY GHOST, that with the temptation a way shall be found for us by which we may escape. May they be many who take the way found for them!

SERMON XI.

THE WORKS OF GOD.

ACTS xv. 18.

Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.

THIS chapter contains the first act of decision on record by a Christian Bishop in a Council. S. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, sitting in Jerusalem at a Council of the Apostles, Elders, and the whole Church, having heard S. Barnabas and S. Paul declare "what miracles and wonders GOD had wrought among the Gentiles by them," and S. Peter declare "how GoD at the first did visit the Gentiles," pronounced his authoritative decision.

In the course of delivering his decree, occurs the passage now read, be

ing the reason which the Apostle gives for passing the decree which follows it. His argument in few words is this, “You hear how Peter has declared that GOD has visited the Gentiles, and I assure you that the words of the Prophets declare that God will visit them. As, therefore, the works of GOD are known to GOD from the beginning of the world, so must this be known to HIм as well as His other works. Therefore, my sentence is, that we shall not trouble them, which from the Gentiles are turned to GOD, by causing them to observe the law of Moses, for the law of Moses is read, as it always has been, in the Synagogues every Sabbath day, and they can hear it if they choose, but we will write to them only such things as we think necessary for newly-converted Heathens to observe."

With the other topics of this decree of the Bishop of Jerusalem, we will not now occupy ourselves, but only with his statement, "Known unto GoD are all His works from the beginning of the world." It leads us up to very lofty thoughts and

down again to very low ones, and is at the same time so true and plain, that a child may assent to it, and so mysterious and awful that the wisest man must own it to be above his understanding.

What then are the works of GOD? We gaze on the earth spread out around us, and the lights that rule the day and night; we sail over the deep waters. Our curiosity is awakened; we ask what are the courses of these mighty lights, whence comes the sun which warms and lights us, those myriads of stars which spangle the sky over our heads. After much toil our philosophers have found out a little about them: they have discovered too something of the nature of the earth, something of the nature of the tides of the sea, something of the nature of the wind which bloweth where it listeth. But what is the amount of all we know when put side by side with the quantity of which we are ignorant, and of which we know ourselves to be ignorant.

How much nearer are we than before, towards understanding the power that

causes these globes of light, our sun and moon, our own earth and the stars, to pursue still never-ceasingly and silently their appointed courses through the regions of endless, boundless, inconceivable space? Who is there that has not felt his heart sink within him when looking by night at these witnesses of uncontrollable power, still going on as ever, noiselessly and unconfusedly, with the work they have to do, and has not confessed that these are unknown to him beyond what his eye gives him to know, and that his only refuge from astonishment is in acknowledging that these are the works of the GOD of Heaven and Earth.

Then let us consider the Earth on which we live, and observe how fit for us it is; with what marked design it is prepared for man and the other animals, and yet how little we know of it; how plainly a limit is put to our acquirement of knowledge; how clear it is that the Earth too is the LORD's and is His work.

More closely still. We ourselves are the works of the LORD, the creatures of

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