fections; but no evidence ever was had, or ever can be had, in this case, but what originally comes from him; therefore nothing can be known of God any further than he, some how or other, makes it evident to his creatures: which is what I mean by his manifesting himself. Therefore,

He

2. As all the ideas of God, which are according to truth, in the whole intelligent system, originally flow from the manifestation which he makes of himself; so the more clearly and fully he manifests himself, the greater advantages will there eternally be to make swift progress in knowledge, humility, holiness, and happiness. Intelligences, who are finite, can never have an adequate idea of him who is infinite. Their knowledge may increase, and their views brighten eternally. And the greater their advantages are, the swifter will be their progress, supposing their taste for divine knowledge to be good. He that is now the lowest, may, millions of ages hence, be much higher in attainments, than he that is now the highest among all the heavenly hosts. Meanwhile, those glorious CHIEFS may be still advanced, almost infinitely, before them. But, while all ranks in heaven are thus rising in the knowledge of God, and in all divine attainments, eternally rising; yet they can never comprehend him who is INFINITE. is still infinitely above them; and they are as nothing and vanity, compared with him. Their conviction of this will eternally increase; and so their humility eternally grow; and God be for ever exalted higher and higher in their view: which will cause their love to his glorious majesty, joy in his supremacy, and happiness in him and in his government, for ever to augment. And if their progress will be in proportion to their advantages, i. e. in proportion to the manifestations God makes of himself, then the fuller and brighter the divine manifestations, the swifter their progress. Of two intelligences, of equal taste and capacity, it is possible that one, by having a thousand times greater advantages, may make a thousand times greater proficiency than the other, in the same time. Let an intelligence, of equal taste and capacity with the angel Gabriel, be created on the morning of the day of judgment, and be placed in some remote parts of infinite space, at a distance from the whole present crea

tion, and spend that day in solitary contemplation, without any advantages to gain the knowledge of God, but what must necessarily result from its own existence and powers; and let Gabriel, the same day, descend from heaven with Christ, and be a spectator of all the transactions of that solemn season; and it is easy to see that Gabriel must gain a thousand, or ten thousand, or rather, perhaps a million times more knowledge of the nature of God, the moral governor of the world, than that solitary spirit. So Moses, in about six months, (viz. from the time he saw the burning bush, to the end of the twice forty days he was on Mount Sinai,) doubtless gained more knowledge of God than he had all his life long before, i. e. more in six months than in eighty years.

As God has formed finite intelligences capable of improvements through eternal ages; so it is reasonable to expect that he will provide those who shall be the objects of his everlasting favour, with the best advantages to make a swift progress. And that plan will, in this respect, be judged the best that is most suited to this end. That plan, therefore, of all possible plans, must in this respect be the best, in which is given the fullest and the brightest manifestation of all the divine perfections. But,

3. The apostacy of angels and men has given the moral governor of the universe an opportunity to set all his moral perfections in the clearest and most striking point of light; and, as it were, to open all his heart to the view of finite intelligences.

The whole intelligent system now may see what God thinks to be his due from his creatures, and how jealous he is of the rights of the Godhead, and how resolved to maintain the honour of his authority and government. And now the whole system may see, too, that as he is God of god's, and Lord of lords, the original proprietor of all things, so he thinks it belongs to him, without the advice or leave of his creatures, according to the counsel of his own will, to lay out that plan which seems best in his own eyes; and to do what he thinks best to do; and to forbear what he thinks best to forbear; to bring such intelligences into being as he thinks best; and having said and done what he thinks best, to forbear to say

or do any more, and stand by, and let them take their course, practically saying, "They owe themselves to me: I owe them nothing." And if they fall, he holds himself at liberty to proceed with and punish them strictly according to law, without any mitigation, the law being exactly right; so that it is matter of mere sovereign grace to grant relief to any ; a thing he may do, or not do, as he pleases, for aught he owes to them. Yea, he holds himself bound to do nothing for their relief, but in a way that shall be honourable to his law. Nevertheless, while he shows such a steady regard to his own honour, and so inflexibly adheres to the rights of the Godhead, as, by office, he is bound, being moral governor of the universe; at the same time, the whole system may see, too, that his goodness is as boundless as his nature. But then, he loves his creatures should know how the case really stands; that the rights of the Godhead ought not to be given up, and that the exercises of his goodness are absolutely free; that while they view things in the same light he does, they may feel as he thinks it is fit they should in such a case*. But time would fail to hint at the various ideas of himself, which he

* Unless property be known and acknowledged between man and man, and the boundaries fixed, there can be no room for the exercise of generosity. If my estate is none of mine, then it is not mine to give. If my neighbour may come and take what, and when he pleases, then I have no right to withhold any thing. My neighbour may justly think hardly of me if I do; and will not thank me, if I do not. But if I have any thing which I call my own, and to which my neighbour has no right, then he must acknowledge, notwithstanding any claim he has to make, I may do what I will with that. As the householder in the parable, (Mat. xx. 15.) said, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?" And if my neighbour views my property in the same light that I do, then he will be apt to view my generosity in the same light too; and what I offer as a free gift, he will receive and acknowledge as such; and feel as is fit. And it was absolutely necessary that property should be known and acknowledged, and the boundaries fixed between God and his creatures. And God by the law he gave to his creatures, as soon as created, and by his conduct since, has effectually done it; has plainly said what was due from them to him; and as plainly declared that he owed them nothing. And these boundaries set up by God, were they but acceded to and acquiesced in by man, the chief matters of controversy between God and man would be removed, and things would look fair for a reconciliation. But while man denies his debt to God, and makes large demands on the Deity, there is no hope of an accommodation. For God will demolish the universe sooner than give up his just rights, in favour of his rebellious creatures. Mat. v. 17.

has communicated in consequence of the grand apostacy of angels and men. Indeed, he has given materials for contemplation, that an whole eternity cannot exhaust.

The picture of himself, which God has given, and will give, in his conduct, from the fall of angels to the final consummation of all things, is gloriously full and complete. He has been called to act in an infinite variety of cases; and, to speak of him according to the language of scripture in the most trying circumstances, (read Ezek. xx. 5-22.) he has been tempted and tried, not merely 40 years in the wilderness, by the Israelites, but from the beginning of the world to this day, by every nation, kindred, language, and tongue; and has had opportunity to show his heart, by his conduct, in all the infinite variety of cases which have ever happened among the millions and millions of millions of subjects which he had to deal with. All which, together with all that remains to be accomplished to the end of the world, will be brought into view another day, and serve to make the picture of himself, which he has given, very full, and gloriously complete in the eyes of all holy intelligences.

Besides, his GREAT WORK, to which all his other works bear some respect, is so much like himself, that, in a manner, it gives his whole picture at once. An incarnate God on the cross, if the divine views, motives, and ends, are all considered, is a piece of conduct, of which it may be said, as it was of him that was chief actor in this affair: It is the brightness of God's glory, and the express image of his person. To create a world was but a small matter with the ALMIGHTY. word he could bring system after system into being with infinite ease. But the work of redemption, by the death of his Son, seems to be a work equal with himself, and in which he has expressed all his heart*.

With a

*The scripture informs us of no created intelligence besides angels and men ; much less does it attempt to raise our devotion by a contemplation of millions of globes inhabited besides this our earth. But, according to scripture, the work of redemption is God's great work; and from this, chiefly, we are to learn his moral character; and this are we to contemplate, with the other branches of his moral government, as revealed in the bible. And that love and devotion, which arises from these scriptural views of God and his works, is the scriptural devotion, and

Actions speak louder than words. The divine conduct sets his picture in a more striking, affecting point of light, than any mere verbal descriptions could have done, had there been no opportunity for conduct. When the ALMIGHTY actually banished the sinning angels from his presence, down to eternal darkness and wo, it set his character in a much stronger light, in the eyes of the elect angels, than his previous threatening had done. And when the day of judgment actually comes, and the whole system are assembled to see and hear, and give up their account, and receive their sentence, it will be much more real than ever it was before made to any of God's creatures, by any descriptions or imaginations they ever had. And it will set the divine perfections in a light proportionably clear, striking, and affecting.

Had all things gone on still and quiet in God's kingdom, there had been no occasion or opportunity for these works, by which all will know that he is the LORD, and the whole system be filled with his glory.

Had the posterity of Abraham lived quietly in the land of Canaan, and multiplied there for 470 years, the Canaanites dying off meanwhile, as the Indians do in America, they might have filled the land with a much greater number of inhabitants, than when Joshua brought them in, and no Joseph sold; no infants drowned; no making bricks; no carcasses left in the wilderness, and they strangers to such great changes, trials, and sorrows; but then God would not have had an opportunity for any of those wonderful works which he wrought, whereby it was known that he was the LORD, and the whole earth was filled with his glory, and a foundation laid for much good to that people, then, and in all succeeding generations; yea, to this day, the whole church of God reap the benefit of those wonderful works which were recorded for our instruction, on whom the ends of the world are come.

infinitely preferable to imaginary transports. If our views of the works of creation, providence, and redemption, are according to scripture, we need not raise millions of imaginary systems of intelligences to inflame our hearts with a divine fervour; nor have we the example of one saint in the Bible to justify such an attempt.