and eighty-five thousand once were in the Assyrian camp, (2 Kings xix. 85.) the Israelites might have taken immediate possession, and spent their days in feasting and joy. And had they been offered their choice, no doubt they would have preferred this scheme before their forty years' march in the wilderness; where the Lord led them through a land of deserts and of pits; through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death; through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt; and suffered them to hunger and to thirst, and for their murmurings under their trials, struck them dead by hundreds and thousands; for they generally cared only for their own present carnal interest, ease, and comfort. They had no relish to those things which God's heart was chiefly set upon; did not want to see God exalted; his authority established, or to be trained up to a life of entire dependence on God; to have their hearts humbled and broken, and be made to know that not for their righteousness were they brought into that good land; nor did they care any thing about that instruction which succeeding generations might obtain from their trials, and from God's conduct towards them those 40 years in the wilderness. And had Moses been able to open to their view the great and glorious ends which were likely to be answered, they would soon have replied, " And what good will it do us if all the earth is filled with his glory, and if all these ends are accomplished, and if it will be better for the nation in the long run? What good will all this do us, so long as our carcasses fall here in the wilderness? It had been better for us to have lived and died in Egypt. Yea, we had rather never been born, than to undergo what we undergo, and die here at last." Nor had it been in the power of Moses to have stopped their mouths, unless he could have changed their hearts. Yea, notwithstanding all that God himself said to them, they continued murmuring in their tents, till he was obliged to execute terrible vengeance upon them. Fourteen thousand and seven hundred were struck dead at one time. (Numbers xvi. 49.) "Now all these things happened to them for our ensamples, and they are written for our admonition." (1 Cor. x. 11.) It were better, therefore, if mankind would leave murmuring at God's ways, which are undoubted

ly all wise, whether any mortal in this present dark and imperfect state is able to show the wisdom of them or not. If all that has been said appears to have no weight, and we give up God's plan as being at present absolutely inexplicable, yet, from the infinite wisdom of the Deity, it is capable of strict demonstration, that of all possible plans he has chose the best ; therefore, the fault is not in him but in us. That there were none to be blamed, in the case of the Israelites, but themselves, we now can plainly see; so will it appear at the day of judgment, that God always did right, and acted wisely; and then every mouth will be stopped. And since we are certain this will finally be the case, it infinitely better becomes us to cease our murmurings, and learn to justify God, and take all the blame to ourselves; and as we are invited, so without delay to cast away the weapons of our rebellion, return and submit to our rightful sovereign, through Jesus Christ, now while mercy is offered to us.

But if any haughty sinner, Pharaoh-like, says, "Who is the Lord? I know not the Lord, nor care for his authority or government, nor will I humble myself before him;" let such a haughty wretch know that the ALMIGHTY is above him, and can accomplish all his schemes without his consent; for having endured, with all proper long-suffering, such impudent sinners, he can show his wrath and make his power known in their eternal destruction, to the honour of his name, and to the eternal instruction of the saved.

As for those who leave the honour of God, the infinitely great and glorious God, the author, proprietor, and king of the whole system, absolutely out of the account, as a thing of no importance, and what the governor of the world is not at all concerned about, and imagine that the good of God's creatures and subjects is the only thing to be attended unto, in all the divine conduct, as moral governor of the world; as for such, I say, it is impossible to reconcile any part of God's plan to their fundamental maxim; for if nothing was of importance but the creature's good, why was not that solely attended to? Why were all put on trial? And why eternal destruction threatened. for the first offence? Or ever threatened at all? Or the sinning angels expelled the heavenly world, and the human race all doomed to death for the first

transgression? And if our good is all that God now has in view, why have not more pains been taken for our ecovery, from age to age, from the beginning of the world? Yea, why are not infinite wisdom and almighty power effectually exerted to render all eternally happy? For the saved, if this principle is true, will be eternally grieved to see any of their felllowcreatures for ever in hell-torments. Nor can the eternal torments of the damned answer any valuable end, on this hypothesis.

NOAH to the old world?
Why did he raise up but

Strange are the positions which the Chevalier RAMSEY has laid down, in order to reconcile the divine conduct to this notion. He maintains that " God did not certainly know that his creatures would fall; and if he had known it, he could not have hindered it consistently with their free agency. He has been trying ever since to reclaim them; intends to continue in the use of means till he has reclaimed them all; the torments of hell being the most powerful means of grace, are finally to be used, with such as cannot otherwise be reclaimed, merely out of pure love to the damned, to purify and bring them to a better mind; so all at last shall be recovered and made for ever happy!" But if God meant to use the most powerful means with a fallen world he possibly could, and that in every age, as upon that hypothesis it must be supposed, why did he send but one Why not two or three thousand? one MOSES, and but one ELIJAH, and send them only to the Israelites? Why did he not raise up thousands in every age and nation under heaven, and make thorough work? And why does he not take more pains with us of this age? Raise up thousands as well qualified to preach as St. Paul? And pour out his spirit on all flesh, as he did on the 3000, on the day of Pentecost? If our good was all he had in view, and he really intended to save us all, one would think he would now use the most powerful means to reclaim us, and not stay till the day of judgment, and then doom us to hell, in order to fit us for heaven! Besides, at that great day, a guilty world will find that Christ does not come to enter upon the use of further means to recover the wicked, but to give them their final doom. Christ will not come to save a guilty world,

but to judge them. Not clothed with love, but in flaming fire. Not to do them good, but to take vengeance: (2 Thes. i. 8.) Not out of love to them, but to show his wrath: (Rom. ix. 22.) Not to purify them, but to cast them, like worthless chaff, into unquenchable fire: (Matthew iii. 12.) Not to fit them for, and fiually to bring them to heaven, with the good wheat, but as tares to burn them up: (Matthew xiii. 30.) Not aiming at their good, as vessels of mercy, but aiming at their destruction as vessels of wrath: (Rom. ix. 22.) Not to discipline them for a season, but to punish them with everlasting destruction: (2 Thes. i. 9.) send them into everlusting fire; (Matthew xxv. 41.) into everlasting punishment, (Verse 46.) where the worm never dies, and the fire is not quenched, (Mark ix. 44. 46. 48.) but the smoke of their torment shall ascend for ever and ever. (Rev. xix. 3.)—And the eternity of hell-torments will effectually convince the whole system that God has an infinite regard to something else besides merely the good of his creatures; as it is meet and fit he should. (See Mal. i. 6. 14.) And this part of his conduct will help to complete his picture, and finish his true character, in the eyes of all intelligences. As yet, mankind hardly believe him in Words do not answer the end; but actions speak louder than words, and will work a thorough conviction.

earnest.

As for the common plea, that "God needs nothing from his creatures, and so can only aim at their good;" it is a way of reasoning.contrary to the universal sense of mankind, in all cases in any measure analogous. The father does not require honour from his son, merely because he needs it, but because he deserves it. The master does not require reverence from his servant, merely because he needs it, but because he deserves it. And if the one should despise his father, and the other treat his master with contempt, they would soon feel the force of that reasoning, in Mal. i. 6. "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master. If, then, I be a father, where is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts." (Verse 8.) "And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor, will he be pleased with thee, or ac

cept thy person? saith the Lords of hosts." (Verse 14.) "Cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing; for I am a GREAT KING, saith the Lord of hosts."

Nor is there any way to establish that maxim which yet lies at the foundation of almost all the modern schemes of religion, but to prove, either that the Deity does not deserve supreme honour or that the moral governor of the world is not just; for if he deserves it, he ought to have it. And it belongs to the moral governor of the world to see justice done, i. e. to see that every one has his due.

And, indeed, it is the chief happiness of the inhabitants of heaven, to see God universally honoured, and each one to join to give him the glory that is his due. They incessantly cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of thy glory." (Isaiah vi. 3.) "They fall down before the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things; and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Rev. iv. 10, 11.)

If the honour of God is of infinite importance in itself, then it is infinitely desirable for itself; and then to see God honoured and exalted, will be of all things most happifying to holy intelligences; and that plan which is suited to this, will be the most happifying plan; and there may be the greatest degree of happiness on such a plan, and yet all things be so contrived as that it may eternally appear in the most striking light, that there was something God had an infinite regard to, besides the happiness of his creatures. On this hypothesis all the parts of God's present plan may be accounted for.

But if the honour of God is of no importance in itself, then it is not desirable for itself; nor will it be a happifying sight to see God exalted; nor that plan that is suited to exalt God, à happifying plan; yea, no good end can be answered by such a plan; and so no part of God's present plan can be accounted for.

If the creature's happiness is the only thing of worth, then infinite wisdom and almighty power should be employed only