hands of the wicked. The desirable thing is accomplished; a noble fact in itself. A fine ship is built, and launched, and fitted out; goes to sea upon an ambitious or golden adventure; but is thrown by winds and currents, or a pilot's ignorance or perverseness, on a dangerous tract of rocks, or sands, or on a fatal coast; or is tossed by storms, for weeks and months, and returns shattered almost to a wreck; or assailed by pirates, and taken. A revolution is effected in the south-west of Europe; an auspicious event, leading to political and ultimately to religious liberty; slavery is broken up ;-the inquisition abolished;-some operations, ominous, distantly, of a decline and fall of a hateful and deadly establishment of superstition. Noble achievement! delightful prospect! and what next? (Briefly recount the reversal.) Our "thoughts" contemplated pleasing visions of anticipation; but the Divine Intelligence saw what was in man.

Again; our "thoughts," while we survey the course of human affairs, will sometimes advert, directly, to the conduct of the Great Governor ;-inquisitively advert,-and sometimes almost presume to do it judicially. We wonder

and say, Why does he act so? why not thus ? Especially; -why does he not interpose with a direct, and as it were immediate, act of his almighty power; but seem thus to leave things to a long, slow struggle of conflicting causes ? Why not, for example, strike a tyrant with sudden and frightful death,—like Herod ? When an army is sent on a wicked enterprise, why might not He send, the second time, that messenger of the night that came down on the camp of Sennacherib? He could, by some signal and irresistible demonstration, expose and explode a dreadful delusion and imposture (Popish, Mahomedan, or any other)—why should He not? Why not, in some great and critical juncture, sway and determine, by a direct influence, the minds of

those on whose determinations so much of the welfare or misery of nations appears to depend? Why, in any great interest, are not the most expeditious methods adopted, and the most efficient means? Why does He, in many an instance, permit it to happen, that, when there seems to be a happy concurrence of many causes, agents, and efforts, in favour of some most important effect, one untoward incident should fall in to frustrate them all?

But, in this temper of the thoughts, there is no end of the questionings that will arise; and, without a reverential restraint, such thoughts will soon border on impiety. For, consider, what meaning our thoughts of this kind will be found to include, if examined. In the first degree it is this, "I would have disposed of these things very dif ferently, had it been possible for them to have been in my power." In the next degree, the sentiment grows to be this, namely,-"It would have been much better if He had ordered them as he has not." The mind dwells fondly on the idea how the course of events might have been, to the extent of something like a tacit reproach of his having disposed them otherwise. But to express such a sentiment ("He ought to have proceeded differently"-" He has ordered things wrong"), would be justly esteemed a horrid impiety. One has heard instances recited of such expressions, and involuntarily has listened to hear, in the sequel, of some signal judgment befalling the blasphemer. But, let a solemn caution be maintained that no thought" be indulged which wants but the mere expression to be such an example!

We may note, at the same time, in the way of caution, one mode of avoiding this impiety, namely, the indemnifying ourselves for not daring a reproach to God, by a sentiment of aggravated vengeance against men. For example; we see a people that might maintain the glorious privilege of

be an

freedom, and enter on a grand career of improvement, preferring to sink down to the degradation of the vilest slavery. The thoughts, directed to this spectacle, will advert at times to the Supreme Disposer, as concerned in such a case, with an emotion that would grow, if not overawed, into a murmuring against him; but is repressed by the sense of his awful majesty; then, it goes out in a sentiment of intense indignation against men. And in truth, simple justice warrants and dictates terms of most emphatical condemnation. But still, there may absolute virulence, such as to exclude all mixture of benevolence. There may be a spirit essentially revengeful, which would delight and exult to wreak itself in plagues. Even the miserable herd of willing slaves may be the object of such a resentment as would wish them an aggravated weight of their chains, and the extremest bitterness of their cup. Too little allowance may be made for utter ignorance, and the debasing effect of inveterate superstition. It is not piety, nor justice, to save our allegiance to God at the expense of man.

One more thing to remark on our "thoughts," considered as relative to His "thoughts," may be, our thinking,"Why should he not reveal and explain to us more of his "thoughts?" We have an idea, a presumption, that, notwithstanding the infinite disparity of intelligence, we yet are capable of comprehending much more than we do, of his own view of things, if he would explain to us ;—what would be a grand addition to the illumination of our minds, the enlargement of our "thoughts," though but little to be imparted of his. And we think, "Should we not then be more devout, as well as more wise? Should we not be more acquiescent,—more resigned, - more approving,—more hopefully active, and far more happy? Should we not contemplate his attributes, and his procedure by a better

Now,

light, and render him a more rational adoration ?" to this, it is one proper answer,-that He has a right to require of us absolute faith, and that we should "live by faith," in the wisdom and righteousness of his government of the world. But, at the same time, it may be true, that the human faculties are capable, even in the confined condition of this mortal existence, of receiving what would be a mighty addition to our information, according to our proportion. And the truth may also be, that the withholding of such knowledge—such enlarged explanation,-is one of the positive evils inflicted on our fallen, sinful state; by the same law as the infliction of pain, disease, and death. Such a denial of possible illumination is an infliction specially appropriate to the nature of the transgression which caused, or constituted, the Fall, which was, in principle, an unhallowed reach at knowledge. It was, then, as an infliction, peculiarly likely to form one particular in the vindictive doom on the whole race. And so, the fact of our "thoughts not receiving more of the light and elevation of His "thoughts," is not to be regarded as a circumstance inevitable to the narrowness of our capacity, but as a part of our punishment and misery as a sinful race.

But still, after all, the grand thing is, the immeasurable, the infinite disparity between the Divine Mind and that of such a creature as man. For humiliation and instruction, let us sometimes dwell a while on the thought of this stupendous contrast. An infinite Spirit,-compared with us! But the very idea of infinity overwhelms our faculties, even when applied to space;-still more when to an intelligent and active Power! Still, we must endeavour to think. A Being, to whose faculties there are no limits,-who has, in such a nature, existed from eternity,—has created all other existences, -perfectly knows all things, in all their relations, tendencies, and consequences, actual and possible therefore, whose

"thoughts" of them are conformable to this all-perfect knowledge. Dwell upon such a view! To eternity it may be incessantly dwelt upon without even an approach to its awful immensity. Then, bring our thoughts, our thinking faculties, and that which they think, into comparison! Even on this very topic itself, of the disparity; think what is the proportion between what we think of it, and the fact as it is. And on all subjects, what must be, what can be, the proportion between his thoughts and ours? Look out sometimes, on the vast universe; all that is seen and known to exist, and is probably existing (worlds, systems, races, &c.), and then think of Him that perfectly comprehends every one, and all together! then again, his "thoughts" and ours!

Now, then, is it not inevitable that, in the train of events in this world, his "ways," proceeding from his "thoughts," should be such as utterly confound our thoughts? would not the contrary of this be most marvellous ? There must, therefore, inevitably be deep mystery, and awful darkness, spread over much of his government of the world, as to our apprehension. There must, to us, be much of this darkness, even with respect to the more confined and immediate relations of events; that is to say, in contemplating the Divine procedure as limited to this world, or to a part of it. But, at the same time, we may not suppose that the Divine government of this world is administered under such an exclusive economy; but that it has relations, perhaps intimate ones, with other portions of his immense dominion. And if so, how much more still must many parts of his conduct transcend and confound our comprehension ! This topic, we are aware, cannot be brought with much of a distinct and satisfactory application to our view of things

in this world. mitted to doubt; tions does exist.

But that the fact is so, we cannot be per that is that this economy of extended relaFor it comports with our highest idea of