ligence. His ways are the exhibitions, the effects of his thoughts. If the former be incomprehenfible to us, the latter muft likewife be very often infcrutable. By fome of his ways however he reveals himself to us, and from what we know and fee of them, we may form many just conclufions concerning w at in regard to them is concealed from us. At least we fee and know enough of them, for acknowledging from the fulleft conviction, that his ways as well as his thoughts are not our ways and thoughts, but are infinitely above them, and in more than one refpect totally different from them.

The following confiderations will place this difference in a more perfpicuous point of view.

Our thoughts and ways are first greatly contracted by space or the compass and scope of objects. Our horizon, our sphere of knowledge, our sphere of action have very narrow bounds which we cannot exceed. That which we can fee, apprehend, understand, which we can think and judge of, is, in comparison with what we cannot fee, not apprehend, not know, on which we cannot think, of which we cannot judge, an imperceptibly fmall part of the whole. The plans that we form, the regulations and inftitutions that we adopt, the schemes we pursue, the outward alterations that we effect, for the most part extend no farther than to the objects lying nearest to us, which we can lay hold of as it were with our hands, or reach with our eyes; and even though they embraced whole countries, whole kingdoms, how little, how confined would they ftill

be! What we know, and what we do, is all piece. work; relates only to fingle, detached parts of the whole, and their connection with it is in the generality of instances abfolutely hidden from us. We fee, we apprehend, we treat things in general, only as they are in the abstract, but not as parts of an immense, compact whole, not as links of one unbroken and infinitely extending chain of caufes and effects. How can it be otherwise, than that we very frequently entertain wrong notions, judge partially and erroneously, form imprudent, childish plans, pursue incompatible objects, chufe means totally unfuitable to their attainment, employ our faculties in vain or injurioufly, and therefore find ourfelves deceived in our expectations! How perfectly different must it be with God's thoughts and ways, how far must they be superior to our's! He, the Omniscient, the Creator and Ruler of the univerfe, furveys all, comprehends all, the great as well as the little, the whole as well as the part. He judges, he treats everything according to its various and numberlefs combinations with all other things, according to the influence it has on the remoteft as well as on the nearest part of his immenfe domain. All his views extend to the whole. All his regulations and inftitutions tend to the prefervation, to the beauty, to the perfection of the whole. The whole vast inconceivable hoft of his lifelefs and living creatures is ever present to his all-feeing eye, and every one of them is and effects that which it can and is defigned to be and to effect. And his power is infinite, the feveral

feveral energies and means, whereby his views are to be attained, are in his hand and can never fail of their ultimate aim. But how often for that reafon muft his thoughts and ways be inconceivable to us! How often must that which he holds to be right and fit appear to us wrong and improper! Yes, on a thousand occafions we call that misfortune and calamity, which in its combination with the whole is bleffing and bounty; and think we fee diforder and ruin, where to him who contemplates objects from a higher point of view, the faireft order and fymmetry prevail. We here expect from fome affair, from fome enterprise various and extenfive utility, and the Omniscient fees, that it would there cause far greater mischief, and defeats our plans. We care for ourselves and fome few perfons who concern us nearly, and our heavenly father cares for his whole innumerable family in heaven and on earth. If we fometimes from felf-love and partiality, or in confequence of our contracted views, prefer the near to the distant, the unimportant to the important, the known to the unknown, a fmall part to the whole; to him all is near, all accurately known, all equally important, equally valuable, and he treats all agreeably to its nature, and to the place it occupies in his kingdom, in the chain of things.

God's thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our ways, for our thoughts and ways are fecondly almost always confined to the prefent, and his thoughts and ways embrace the past, the present

and the future with equal certainty and precision. But little of what is past has ever been known to us, and the remoter futurity is utterly hid from our eyes. Neither the past nor the future can therefore in most cases have any great influence on our judgment, on our projects, on our actions. We therefore usually confine ourselves to the present, at most to the few hours and moments, which compofe the fum of human life on earth. We think, we judge, we determine, we act according to what is and happens now, but not according to what will be and happen in all future times. If we in our judgments and actions take the consequences of things into confideration, they are generally but the nearest, never those that will only enfue fome thousands of years hence, not till after whole ages of the world have elapsed; and even though these should lightly float as it were before us in the moment of deep reflection, we defcry them only at a distance, in the back ground, enveloped in clouds and darkness. Follow the viewlefs chain of caufes and effects with ever fuch strict attention, how quickly will ye lofe fight of it! So little are we able to furvey the whole in point of space, juft as little can we apprehend it in point of time. -But to the Eternal, the Omniscient, this is poffible, this he does. To his unbounded intellect the past and the future present themselves in the fame refplendent light, wherein he beholds the prefent. Before him lies the whole immenfe fucceffion of caufes and effects, whatever

has

has happened and will happen from eternity to eternity in all ages, in all worlds, in all their contemporary and fucceffive connection, without any confufion, in the utmost precifion! And hereon are grounded his thoughts and ways, his judgments, his regulations, his difpenfations, all that he appoints, and does! At prefent he permits in the natural or in the moral world a thousand things to happen or not to happen, which are to be only grounds and occafions to far diftant events and revolutions. At prefent he fets a thousand things and perfons, whole nations and kingdoms in motion and activity, in order to prepare the way to certain purposes, which are only then to be attained, when these things, these persons, these nations and kingdoms are no more. At present he permits the ignorant, the wicked man to rife into confequence, beftows on him riches and power and authority, in order that fome one of his late defcendants may be able to undertake and achieve, what he in his station and in his time fhould undertake and achieve. At prefent he permits the intelligent and good man to lofe his property or his confequence and his honours, in order left fome one of his progeny yet unborn fhould abuse them to the corruption of his brother. At present he permits the innocent man to fuffer as fuch, that hereafter he may not fuffer as a malefactor. At present he inflicts particular calamities on perfons and nations, that in procefs of time they may not experience ftill more grievous

calamities,