ber than the sand. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!"

He does not overlook such instances of "the lovingkindness of God," because, to some, they may appear minute and trivial. He does not contrast them with what are reckoned spiritual and more important blessings; nor attempt to institute comparisons between the beneficent operations of Omnipotence, in order to throw a certain portion of them into the shade. He considers all the operations of God, from the plan of redemption for guilty men, and the mission of his Son into our world, to the minutest muscle that moves the joint of a finger, or the ray of light that darts from a flower of the field, as parts of one vast system of boundless benevolence, as essentially connected together as the links of a chain: and, in regard to himself, he views all the variety of blessings now alluded to, as one undivided stream of unbounded beneficence, commencing with the first moment of his existence, running through all the scenes and circumstances of his terrestrial existence, and expanding into the unfathomable ocean of eternity. In the whole series of contrivances and events which relate to his present and future existence, both in what we consider the minutest and the most magnificent works of the Deity, he perceives the stamp of Infinite Perfection, and a connection of plan and of operation, which excludes all attempts at comparisons and contrasts. Under such impressions, and with such views of the concatenation of every part of the scheme of divine benevolence, he is led to contemplate the kindness of God at every step, and in every object, and is ever ready to exclaim, "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me!"

In fine, supreme love to God includes, in its exercise, a delight in the public and private exercises of his worship, a constant endeavour to yield a willing and unreserved obedience to all the institutions he has appointed, and to all the laws he has issued forth for counteracting the depravity of our natures, and for raising us to a state of moral perfection; an active and enlightened zeal for the honour of his name, and for promoting those institutions which have a tendency to advance his kingdom in the earth; a sincere and disinterested affection to all our fellow-men,

and particularly to every class of holy intelligences; a cordial approbation of all his plans and movements in creation and providence; and devout aspirations after that higher state of existence, where the glories of his nature and "the kindness of his love" shall be more clearly unfolded, and where love shall glow in one uninterrupted and perpetual emotion.

Thus, it appears that love to God consists in complacency in his character and administration, and is inseparably connected with admiration of his wonderful works, with humility, resignation, and gratitude.

I cannot conclude my remarks on this topic without adverting, for a little, to the nobleness and sublimity of this first and fundamental spring of all moral action. From what has been already stated, it appears that love to God is the most reasonable and amiable affection that can animate the human mind; for that Being who is the object of it is the sum of all perfection, the standard of all moral and physical excellence, and the source of all the felicity enjoyed by every rank of existence throughout the boundless universe. It is also the most sublime and expansive affection that can pervade the mind of any created intelligence. It excites the most rapturous emotions when we contemplate the harmonies, the beauties, and the sublimities of the universe; for it recognizes them as the displays of boundless wisdom and boundless goodness; as the production of that Almighty Being who stands in the relation of our Father and our Friend; and leads us to conclude, that that power and intelligence which gave birth to all that is grand and beautiful in heaven and on earth, will he forever exercised in contributing to our eternal enjoyment. Without such a recognition, creation appears only like an immense desert, and is apt to fill the mind with apprehension and terror; for it can feel no pleasurable emotions in contemplating the operations of a Being for whom it entertains no affectionate regard. But, in our solitary walks in the fields and the gardens, amidst the emanations of divine munificence; in our journeys through the fertile plains; in our excursions through the Alpine scenes of nature; in our investigations into the structure of the animal and the vegetable tribes; and in our contemplations on the wonders

of the starry sky-love throws a radiance on all these objects, and excites an interest which cannot be appreciated by that mind which has never felt the force of this sacred emotion.

It renders us superior to the ills of life, while, under its influence, we bow, in cordial submission, to the divine dispensations, as the result of perfect wisdom, rectitude, and benevolence. It enables us to recognise the hand of a Divine Benefactor in every enjoyment, and the rod of an affectionate Father in every trial and affliction to which we are subjected. It raises the soul above the carking cares and degrading pursuits of the world, and enables it to look down with heroic indifference on all those trivial incidents and fancied insults which irritate, and inflame, and torment "the children of pride." It preserves the mind in calm serenity amidst the raging of the tempest, the rolling thunders, the whirlwind and the hurricane, the eruptions of the volcano, and the convulsions of the earthquake; while it recognizes the Ruler of the storm, who presides amidst the crash of warring elements, as its Omnipotent Protector and its eternal refuge.* It enables the man in whose bosom it resides, to contemplate with composure the downfal of kings and the revolutions of nations, to anticipate the hour of his dissolution without dismay, and to look forward with fortitude to the ruins of dissolving nature, when "the elements shall melt with fervent heat," and the earth, with all its magnificence, shall be wrapt in flames; confident that under "the shadow of the wings of the Almighty," he shall

*The celebrated Kircher, in his relation of the dreadful earthquake in Calabria, in 1638, which overthrew the city of Euphemia, of which he was a spectator, expresses his feelings on that occasion in the following words :---"The universal ruin around me, the crash of falling houses, the tottering of towers, and the groans of the dying, all contributed to raise terror and despair. On every side of me, I saw nothing but a scene of ruin and danger threatening wherever I should fly. I commended myself to God, as my last great refuge. At that hour, O how vain was every sublunary happiness! wealth, honour, empire, wisdom, all mere useless sounds, and as empty as the bubbles of the deep. Just standing on the threshold of eternity, nothing but God was my pleasure; and the nearer I approached, I only loved him the

more."

remain in perfect security, amidst "the wrecks of matter and the crush of worlds."

This divine principle assimilates us to angels, and to every other class of holy intelligences. It renders us qualified for associating with these superior intellectual natures-for entering into their vast and comprehensive views

for conversing with them on the sublime topics which occupy their attention-for bearing a part in their extensive schemes of universal benevolence and for contributing, along with them, to the order and prosperity of God's everlasting kingdom. It secures to us the friendship and affection of all the virtuous inhabitants of the universe, and renders us fit for affectionate intercourse with them, wherever we may afterwards exist, throughout the boundless expanse of creation. Should we ever be permitted, during the lapse of eternal duration, to wing our flight from world to world, in order to enlarge our views of God's unbounded empire, the exercise of this holy affection would secure to us a friendly reception and an affectionate intercourse among all the pure intelligences within the range of his moral administration: for, as this principle is founded on the nature of God, who is eternal and unchangeable, it must pervade the minds of the inhabitants of all worlds that have retained their primitive integrity. It is this divine affection which excites the rapturous flame that glows in the breasts of the angelic tribes, which enlivens the songs and the adorations of the cherubim and the seraphim, which inspires them with a noble ardour in executing the commands of their Creator, and which animates them in their flight from the celestial regions to this obscure corner of creation, when they minister to the heirs of salvation. It was this noble principle which impelled the angel Gabriel in his rapid flight through the celestial spaces, when he descended to announce to Daniel the answer to his supplications, and to Zacharias and Mary the birth of the Saviour; which animated the angels who unbarred the prison doors to Peter, and gave assurance to Paul of the divine protection, while he was tossing on the tempestuous billows of the Adriatic sea; and which fanned the flame of devotion in the heavenly host, when they sung, in the plains of Bethlehem, "Gla

ry to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good-will towards men."

In fine, this sublime affection assimilates us to God, who is benevolence itself, who supremely loves his own character, and who is incessantly displaying his benevolence, in all its infinitely diversified effects, throughout the intelligent universe. It assimilates us to Jesus the Son of the Highest, who is "the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person," and who is forever actuated with fervent zeal for the honour of God, and for the happiness of man. It constitutes the foundation of all felicity; it opens the gates to perpetual enjoyment; it secures its possessor of eternal happiness, as its natural and necessary result, and prepares him for mingling in the employments of the "innumerable company of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect :" for, all the transporting scenes of glory, and all the avenues to felicity, which will be opened to the immortal spirit, while ages, numerous as the sand, are rolling on, while mighty worlds are emerging out of nothing, and innumerable orders of beings are starting into existence, may be considered as so many infinitely diversified streams flowing from supreme affection to the blessed God, as the spring of every rapturous enjoyment. Possessed of this divine principle, we secure the most honourable connections, become benefactors to the intelligent universe, participators of the enjoyments of seraphic natures, agents for carrying forward the plans of Infinite Benevolence, and "workers together with God," in accomplishing his eternal designs. Without it, we become nuisances in the kingdom of God, rebels against his government, pests to fellow intelligences, destitute of the noblest of all affections, deprived of substantial enjoyment in the present world, and exposed to misery, without interruption, in the world to come.

If such be the native effects of supreme love to God, and if this principle lie at the foundation of all genuine morality, how foolish and preposterous is it for Christian moralists to wander through the dark labyrinths of Greek and Roman literature, and the intricate mazes of modern sceptical philosophy, in search of any other principles of moral action? It is like groping for the light of the sun