he died by the hands of juftice? Our nature is fuch that we cannot feel happy, whilft we fee, or know, that others are miserable. And these tender feelings of our nature are encouraged by our religion. We are exhorted and commanded to refemble our Father in heaven, in kindness love and mercy. I wish to know, whether going to heaven will entirely diveft us of humanity? Will every delicate, tender, fympathetic fentiment die in our breafts, fo foon as we shall reach heaven, that world of eternal love? Will charity alfo expire in heaven, with every other tender paffion? In order to fatisfy ourfelves fully, that the eternal mifery of our fellow creatures will be a mean of promoting our happiness, we ought to be quite certain that heaven will extinguish every spark of humanity within us. It has been said, if not written, that the faints in heaven will look down into hell, and, beholding the execution of divine juftice upon those miferable inhabitants, will rejoice, and feel an increase of real happiness. If this will be the fact, heaven certainly must be filled with a kind of faints entirely unknown in this world. Befides, there is fomething here fuppofed, that never will, or can be true. That the faints in heaven will behold the executior of divine juftice, in the eternal fufferings of the wicked. Eternal mifery hath been demonftrated to be unjuft. So that the faints in heaven can never fee the juftice of God in the infliction of eterpal mifery. But we will, for a moment, make the fuppofition, fuppofition, that the eternal mifery of a part of the human race is a neceffary mean of promoting the happiness of the reft. Does this economy appear to to agree with the character of infinite wisdom, unbounded goodness, and almighty power, which we unitedly ascribe to God? Does it not appear unaccountable that infinite wisdom, influenced by un.. bounded goodness, and aided by almighty power, fhould not have conftructed a univerfe in fuch a manner, as to admit the greateft happiness, without requiring, at the fame time, the greatest mifery 1 That God could not make fome creatures fupremely happy, without making others fupremely miserable! An unbiaffed mind will certainly meet with difficulty in believing this, and greater ftill in accounting for it. Where is the man that would not prefer annihilation, to happy existence, at the expence of the eternal mifery of one of his fellow creatures? If that wretch, in human fhape, can be found, he deferves the execrations of all living. He is a monfter, and not a man. On the theory of eternal misery, you see the juftice of God eternally facrificed, his goodness blasphemed, his wisdom reproached, his power reduced to weakness, and his whole character, as Creator and governor of the universe, moft fhamefully vilified. This, my fathers, brethren, and fellow citizens, is idea of the matter. You may think otherwise; I once did. And, that I once thought otherwise, I my 1 afcribe afcribe wholly to the prejudices of education, example, and authority. 3 But I will dwell no longer on this gloomy diftreffing fubject of eternal mifery. Let us turn our eyes to a more bright and luminous profpect. Come, ascend with me to the top of Pisgah, and let us command a large and ravishing profpect of the promifed land. Jehovah faid, Let us make man.. This is enough for me, to know that my existence was the refult of the divine will. By this act of his will, in giving me existence, my God made my life, my fafety, my eternal welfare his fpecial charge. No fatal harm can ever befal me. If I fin, my God will correct me. And, if I repent, he certainly will forgive me. He had no intereft to ferve in creating me, but my happiness. My happinefs, then, will be the object of all his dispensations of providence towards me, during the whole of my exiftence. And as my Creator hath made a world of men, they are all his care, equally with myself. The act of creation was a folemn engagement, on the part of the Creator; a covenant, which he will never revoke, to tender forever the happiness of all his creatures. God knew when he made man, that his naturewas defectible, that he would abuse his liberty, and fall. Ample provifion, therefore, was previously made, in the gracious, mediatorial difpenfation of providence, for the introduction of juft fuch a defe&tible creature as man, and just fuch an event as his fall, into the univerfe. So that Adam was crea plence ted under the Gospel difpenfation. Accordingly, W no fooner did that event take place, which was fore in p feen and provided for, man's fall, than the gracious or an ⚫ economy was disclosed, and the feed of the woman vole brought into view, who, at the head of the difpen-with fation of grace, fhould eventually deftroy every ill to v effect of the apoftacy. In this first intimation of the ritand gospel scheme of reftoration, we fee, in embryo, bej every feature of a complete restoration of mankind to virtue and happiness. The ferpent's head fhall ind, be bruifed. His works, which were fin and death, bound fhall be totally deftroyed. Under this fame econo-duty my of grace, which was revealed to Adam and Eve, and we were born. And the facred person at its head, W hath received from his Father, a fulness of gifts and here grace, completely fufficient to conduct all its affairs, by and to bring all his fons to glory. On this plan universal benevolence, we confider all men brethren, as we have one Creator, one Father in heaven; one Mediator between God and us, the man Christ Jesus; one faith, of present grace, and future glory; one baptism, the same feal of the fame covenant of univerfal love. Now, we have infinite occafion to praise God for his goodness, in the gift to of existence, and to confider ourselves as under conftant and growing obligations to love him with fu preme affection; and to fear, and truft, and ferve him, with ever increasing delight. of and our ftat We love him be cause be firft loved us. On this broad plan of be nevolence, pro hig An all ver an or hevolence, we are filled with faith, and hope, and joy. We enter on the duties of piety and devotion, both in private and public, with the moft lively fervor and cheerful zeal. On this theory of divine benevolence, every focial duty will be difchargmed with punctuality and kind affection, fince we are led to view all men as heirs of the fame glorious in heheritance, immortal happy life. We fee our God to be juft, as well as benevolent and merciful, and we are ambitious to imitate his juftice, and to be all kind, benevolent, and merciful as he is. A firm the foundation is now feen for piet y, virtue, and every 10-duty of focial life. And the goodness of God allures, ve and entices us to cheerful obedience. ad me ite ift -0 fu ve 1 |