SERMON IX.

JOB XXX II, 10.

I ALSO WILL SHOW MY OPINION.

READER: The "Book of Job," has always been considered, as one of the most interesting and wonderful portions of the "Sacred Scriptures." The allegory which it presents, in the character and condition—the prosperity and adversity the almost total annihilation, and the resusitation of this ancient "Man of God," seems to us, to have been designed, among other things, particularly, for the trial of opinions; all of which however, respect one and the same all-important subject—the Sovereignty of God, in all the acts and affairs of the universe. In the book itself, we are furnished, in a direct regard to this point, with the opinion of Job with the opinion of his wifewith the opinion of his "three friends;" and with the opinion of "Elihu." And since those days, we have been furnished with the opinions, on the same subject, of many learned annotators and commentators; with the opinions of Biblical critics-Biblical linguists and Biblical exegecians. And we continue to be furnished, from month to month, from week to week, and from day to day, with the novel notions, opinions, conjectures and guesses, of the wise men, of this "perverse and adulterous generation." That there should appear to be a great discrepancy in the

OR EVANGELICAL BONUS.

opinions of such a variety of characters, is naturally to have been expected. But it is not our object, nor our duty, on this occasion, to examine this variety of opinions; and we therefore, leave such an examination, to be performed, at their leisure, by our readers. Our object, indeed, in giving out this clause for our text, was principally, to awaken interest in the public mind, and a desire to know what our opinion is, which of course, it will be expected we should give, in the summing up and conclusion of "the whole matter," of this volume of "Things New and Old." The materials of which it is composed, merit the earnest perusal of every intelligent christian not only, but every member of the Protestant communion in christendom.

And for our accommodation, in these circumstances, reader, we have selected, and design, by "the grace of God," to explain and illustrate, the following passages of Holy Writ, viz: The injunction of God's servant, Moses, contained in

DEUTERONOMY XXXII, 7.

REMEMBER THE DAYS OF OLD; CONSIDER THE YEARS OF MANY [OR ALL] GENERATIONS; ASK THY FATHER, AND HE WILL SHOW THEE; THY ELDERS, AND THEY WILL TELL THEE:

in connection with the declaration of Paul, in

ROMANS VIII, 21, 22.

FOR WE KNOW, THAT THE WHOLE CREATION [THAT IS, THE ENTIRE RACE OF FALLEN MAN, WITH THE EARTH ITSELF, IF YOU CHOOSE, SYMPATHETICALLAY] Groaneth, and traVAILETH IN PAIN TOGETHER, TO BE DELIVERED FROM THE BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION, INTO THE GLORIOUS LIBERTY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD.

Reader: The first part of our text, it is obvious, contains a direct and solemn injunction, to use every means in our power, to become familiarly acquainted with history.

TO DIVERSE, NOTABLE FOOLS AND ASSES.

And the second part, by the great Apostle, may be considered as announcing a reason for so doing; that we shall ⚫ find evidence in history, as well as in the word of God, "that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together, to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Our partial transposition of the words, has been done, to present the ideas to our readers, evidently intended by Paul, in a more lucid manner, than they are presented in our English translation.

The works of God in his providence, or the history of them, have, by all orthodox divines, been considered as legitimately, a text, on which his Word is the comment. In Creation and Providence, that is, in history, we ascertain what is done; and in the Holy scriptures by whom, and why, it is done.

This, therefore, being our settled and abiding opinion, that the history of the "groanings," the convulsions, the "travailing in pain together," the agonizing struggles of our race, since the fall, clearly evinces the sovereignty of God, and the Unity of our race; with such a view, we cannot fail to consider history of the greatest importance.

It will be our object, in the ensuing discourse, to review, in a transient manner, the great and leading features in the history of the convulsions and struggles which have marked the progress of our fallen race. It is no new idea, reader, to us, and to you, that the present is a convulsive and most struggling age. All the political, as well as religious, elements of the world, seem every where in motion; and all nations, and individuals, appear busy, either as actors in, or spectators of the fermented and interesting scene. And while new convulsions and struggles, are in progress; old ones are, with the thinking, and truly religious and intelligent class of the community, becoming, in a peculiar manner, the themes of conversation, and of deep and most

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interesting research. Yes, christian scholars, of this age, who have leisure, and means, and talents for this investigation, are daily, and hourly, going back to the ancient fields of the convulsions and struggles of their fellow men. They are examining the principles of those convulsions, which gave them birth; noticing the connections of all remarkable events; and some are engaged, from age to age, under God, in writing the lives of the leaders, in those convulsions and struggles. Yes, under the immediate agency and control of the providence of God, all this is done. And who can refuse to rejoice that this is so? that many, even now, are made by Him, to take a deep interest in the past? In this fact, we find all needed encouragement for the future. We have a view of past events, in the history of the convulsions and struggles of by-gone generations, which establishes our faith, in the sentiment, that all the more recent and present ones are for good. But if one and the same cause, as represented in our texts, occasions these convulsions, "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many (all) generations; ask thy father and he will show thee; thy elders and they will tell thee;-For we know, that the whole creation, (with the earth itself, sympathetically) groaneth and travaileth in pain together; to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God," how, we ask, ought History to be written, and how ought it to be read? The object of History, we here see, ought not to be merely the recording of facts. The "whole creation," the world; its ancient, distant, and widely extended climes, and population; with all the varieties of situation and climate; make, when brought together, only one, great whole. Therefore, the events which have occurred in it, and which, under God, are every day evolved, and which will hereaf ter occur, are all linked together, in one never-to-be-broken, chain. All the past, has had an influence in the produc

TO DIVERSE, NOTABLE FOOLS AND ASSES.

tion of the present state of things. And, the present agencies employed, we may rest assured, are operating Almightily, with respect to the future.

Yonder sun, which moves so gloriously in his splendor and magnificence, over the centre of our globe; starting forth, in their season, verdure and foliage, in all the varieties of beauty and luxuriance; and which thus receives in return, the voluntary homage of rejoicing nature, in the myriads of the forms of her productive existence; is the very same glorious orb, which in yonder frozen regions of the poles, only just peeps dimly, and cheerlessly forth, from the extreme horizon; and then seems to hasten away, as though shuddering at the chilling dreariness, which there enshrouds the whole scene. Just so man, in the civilized world, as he here stands forth in his strength and dignity, in his intellectual vigor, and sometimes, moral elevationthe searcher of the earth · the navigator of oceans admitted student of the Seminary of the entire arc of the sky is the self-same being-the same in form, in mind, and in his eternal destination; as the poor, creeping, untutored, and ignorant Indian; who looks upon the little spot of earth around him, as the whole of creation; upon the ocean, as a something, he knows not what; and extending, he knows not where; and therefore he stands, gazing, with mingled emotions of fear and admiration, as the lights of heaven, alternately rise and set — glow, or fade away.

the

Yes, man is, and always has been, the same being; whether we contemplate him in his strength and dignity — or in his weakness and degradation—in his knowledge or his ignorance his highest elevation, or lowest depression - he is, in the light of both history and the Bible, still the He is, by an irreversible law, always dependent upon his fellow-man- always exerting an influence upon the events and characters which are to follow - and doing something, either of good, or evil, which will inevitably, affect those who come after him.

same.