calypse; and as Satan has always maliciously opposed believers, and believers have always resisted him, it may be easily admitted.

Both the promise, and this condescension in clothing their bodies, discover to us the gracious and providential dealings of the Lord God towards mankind. His love had provided a Saviour; and, having resolved on bestowing that inestimable gift, he freely with him gives us all things. The account which is given us by Moses is so short as to give rise to much conjecture, and conjecture is often very uncertain ground to proceed upon. However, as God does not consult the gratification of our curiosity, or delight in superfluous information, he would have us learn by the consequences and fruits of sin how great an evil it is, and by the gradual development of his merciful intentions, the wisdom of his proceedings, and call forth the lively exercises of our faith in his truth and faithfulness.

I doubt not but that our first parents had a much clearer manifestation of these things, and witnessed greater personal grace than what is revealed. When they beheld such mercy and love, they must have been deeply affected, and would most thankfully accept of deliverance on any terms proposed by their offended but gracious God; who, from the fulness of his compassion, was ready to receive them through the promised seed, and crown them with mercy and lovingkindness. Not that he saw good to raise them immediately to their primitive state: they and their posterity must be variously tried and exercised, and give proof of their love to him for a season, and pass the shades of death, ere they could attain to their prestine glory: but, this performed by his gracious assistance, they should be raised not only to greater glory, but be placed in such circumstances as never more to fall, disobey his righteous commands, or forfeit his favour.

Oh, my soul, dost thou know thy diseases, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy guilt, pollution, and danger! Learn to acknowledge with gratitude that love which has provided a

remedy for all thy evils. Accept with joy the terms of salvation, and present thy all to be a holy, living, and acceptable sacrifice, to thy gracious God. Consider how light and vain every object is that is sought and rested in independently of him—how inadequate the very best substitutes to thy unbounded desires-how uncertain the possessions, how frail the possessor! "Happy is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is; for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Be this thy care, O my soul, to confide in the Lord! So shalt thou prove his faithfulness and love. He will be thy present, sufficient, and eternal portion.

MAN UNDER CHASTISEMENT.

In reading the holy scriptures, we observe that there is frequent mention of the warnings and threatenings of Almighty God against sin, and of his actually fulfilling them by many severe and heavy judgments on sinful men; which is no more than what may justly be expected, both for the honour of his own righteous government, and the good of the world at large. Men must be under some law, and what law so holy, just, and good as his, who is infinite in wisdom, glo, rious in holiness, and absolute in power? Would it be right to suffer their affronts, perverseness, and reiterated offences, with impunity? If in human governments it is found absolutely necessary to punish the guilty, to render legislators and their laws respectable, it is also necessary that the Most High should be honoured, and his ordinances and commandments respected; and it is no less so for the general good. All sin, directly or indirectly, tends to irregularity, confusion, and misery. Who can tell the evil and mischief one subtle, depraved, opulent, and powerful man, is capable of? And as these things may be acted upon, sought after, and possessed in various shades and degrees,

by multitudes, what kind of a world would ours be, if he did not sometimes mark their offences with his rod, and their iniquities with scourges? And as these things suppose that evil does exist, I shall endeavour to point out these judgments, for the conviction of those who think lightly of sin, and constrain them, if possible, to acknowledge that a just and holy God would not act thus towards mankind, if they were innocent or slightly guilty.

For sin the ground was cursed, it is not said to what extent: perhaps in a degree every object and thing partook of it. Barrenness in some-deficiency of nourishment in others-and fruitfulness of what incommodes or proves destructive in the rest. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake, (said God to the first offending man) in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." Who is able to discover the evils which lurk in the copious productions of nature, or to describe the effects which arise from our ignorance of them? Is it not to this cause that we are to attribute many of the various diseases which shake our frame, and threaten our dissolution? It is true that the abuse of the greatest mercies will also have the same tendency; yet it is evident that where the conduct of individuals is regular and temperate, they sometimes feel themselves attacked by pain and sickness, for which they can assign no specific cause. But we have sinned, and therefore must expect the rod of affliction, in one form or other, to follow.

For sin the clements are armed against us.-How often has the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up multitudes, as well as Korah and his company, and spread terror and desolation through islands and continents! Sometimes the balmy air has been filled with noxious vapours, and myriads have been hurried by pestilential diseases to the grave, besides what fell in the camp of the proud Assyrian. And who is able to describe the horrid devastations occasioned by fire and water? Mark the overflowing deluge which overspread the earth; and behold the sulphureous fiery

storm which overthrew and utterly destroyed devoted Sodom! Jehovah here" made quite naked" his sin-avenging "bow," and spent the arrows of his indignation upon them. "Mischiefs were heaped upon them," and bitter desolation overwhelmed them. God has punished sinful men by storms of hail, fire, and thunder. Exod. ix. 24. He drowned Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea. Exod. xiv 28. He cast great hailstones upon the Canaanites, (Josh. x. 11.) and destroyed them. He consumed by fire the two companies of the idolatrous Israelites, who were sent to apprehend the prophet Elijah. 2 Kings i. 10-12. And various other parts of scripture contain threatenings of the same kind, which have had their accomplishment, are accomplishing, or will be accomplished in the world on a larger scale; while our ears are pained by the frequent recital of the accidents, as they are called, which overtake and carry from the stage of life individuals on every side.

Sin gives rise to various calamities.-It was for this that God confounded human language; and who is able to express the enmities, inconveniences, and miseries, arising from this cause? Sin also is the origin of those complicated woes which have arisen from war by sea and land-from slavery, oppression, famine, ferocious wild beasts, destructive insects, unfavourable seasons, loathsome disorders, plague and pestilence, melancholy and madness, storms and tempests, and the innumerable evils with which mortals are afflicted or tormented! All these things must arise from the decretive or permissive will of Heaven, and ought to be considered at least as the chastisements of a guilty world.

Sin is followed by sorrow and vexation.-It has many allurements, and promises great happiness and satisfaction; but how short-lived are its pleasures-how delusive its joys! Remorse of conscience, guilty fears, painful reflections, fearful forebodings of punishment follow, and loudly proclaim the folly of sinful pursuits. Hear Cain, after having glutted his revenge in the murder of his brother, on reviewing his righteous sentence: "My punishment is greater

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than I can bear." So Joseph's brethren, after the supposed loss of Joseph, and their cruel treatment of him: "We are verily guilty (said they) concerning our brother-therefore is this distress come upon us." See also what sorrow, trouble, and vexation, followed David's transgression, and that of many others mentioned in the sacred scriptures: and the same things continue to exhibit themselves among offending mortals from age to age. Indeed, in consequence of sin, the apostle informs us that "the whole creation groaneth, and travaileth in pain together until now ;" and hence we have full demonstration of God's displeasure at our iniquities, since so bitter a cup is mixed for us, of which we must all partake more or less.

Sin is the cause and sting of death.-Whatever we look for beside, we are sure to die. The sentence is passed upon all," for all have sinned." But the how, and where, and when, are generally concealed from us; and numerous are the ways which lead to "the house appointed for all living." Let us, in addition to what has already been said, enumerate some of them, and begin with the variable state of the atmosphere. What frequent changes from heat to cold, from wet to dry, from clear to misty! How often do the winds vary in a short space to almost every point of the compass! Storms and calms alternately succeed each other. Noxious vapours and exhalations, arising from vegetable, animal, mineral, and various putrifying substances, are perpetually diffusing themselves through the air we breathe, weakening and destroying our frame. Disease.—Its seeds are sown in our very constitution, and grow with our increasing days. Many spring from intemperance, from excessive labour and care, from accidents, or from the malice or trifling of others: but whatever the cause, they continue to undermine our health and strength, till we fall a prey to death. Neither physicians nor our dearest connexions can support us against the power of death. It is the common lot; and nature, however reluctant, must sink in the threatened ruin. Accidents.-Our passage through life is full of