news-it sets forth redemption, that is, deliverance out of slavery-salvation, that is, keeping from the power of evil, forgiveness, comfort, and consolation. It summoneth to glory and renown, to victory and triumph, and an immortal crown. It commandeth not to penance or monastic severity, but to honest, comely deeds; forbideth dishonesty, dishonour, and untruth; encourageth love and kindness; hateth hardness of heart and harshness of behaviour; breathes gentleness, peace, and charity; renounces strife, war, and bloodshed; knowledge it encourages, purity and love still more; all these virtuous and worthy qualities of heart and life it sustains and crowns with the promise of life and blessedness everlasting. The spirit of the law, therefore, is to rejoice the heart, to convert the soul, to enlighten the eyes, and give understanding to the simple. And, if we had leisure to trace its effects upon the world, we should find that it hath tended in every instance to promote its happiness and prosperity.

Here then is an argument which the law hath within itself, in addition to these many obligations mentioned above, which the author hath upon us for all his bountiful gifts. It is not only the voice of God our parent, preserver, patron, and friend-but it is the devise of wisdom for securing the welfare of the world. It is bound upon us not only by early and affectionate ties of nature, but by ties of interest-not only a bond upon the heart, but a preservative of peace between man and man, and the insurance of the common safety. Thus it hath in it all that gives to political government reverence and authority. It is a constitution of social intercourse for the wide world, leaguing men together in community-owing no locality of jurisdiction, or separation of interests, but embracing human nature every where, extending from pole to pole, and round the five zones of the earth. Now, among the many causes, well or ill grounded, against any political institution, I never heard any one murmur against tribu

nals of justice, and execution of judgment. No one ever imagined that a state could stand without a judge and a punishment. The mode may be objected against-the facility or severity-but the necessity of the thing was never questioned. On the same ground, it is necessary to the stability and extension of this universal law for the hearts and lives of men.

While I thus argue from all kind of analogies, the reasonableness and pleasure of responsibility to God, with the necessity of judgment in the divine as in the human procedure, I am willing to admit that here also punishment should be the last direful resource, only to be called in when every thing else has failed. Man should be tried by every means before you have recourse to the cruelty of punishment. Address every nobler part before you make your appeal to fear-work upon him by every argument to change his course, before you pass a sentence upon him which cuts him off from repentance, and makes an end of his prospects for ever. Now, I fearlessly appeal to the knowledge and experience of every one, if God is not slow to judgment, and patient to pursue every method of grace and love-willing to take repentance at any season, to wipe all past misdemeanors away, so that we will turn and behave towards him with affection. In this respect the divine government surpasses all other governments whatever. A father will take his prodigal son back to his bosom, and forget in the transports of his affection, all the follies of a child who was lost and now is found. But a father will not do this many times; once and again, and pèradventure thrice. But if he find promises vain, confidence betrayed, and affection unanswered, he is compelled, for the credit of his house, and the sustenance of parental authority, to bid the perverse youth begone, and to cut him off from his inheritance. So also in every other association, whether of nature or of compact. Political administrations are less patient, because it is not private affection but common interest they

steer upon, yet even there a first offence hath mitigation of punishment, perhaps forgiveness—a second sometimes commutation of punishment-but an old offender, one in habit and repute an offender, gets the heavier doom. Private friendship will hardly cement again, when its duties have been once violated. In business, one who hath been dishonest to his engagements is not easily trusted the second time. There is need for a sharp outlook in all the affairs of life; and though Mercy hath we trust often a glorious pre-eminence in men's hearts, as in God's, still she cannot bear to be trampled on or abused; otherwise she steps to a side, and lets Justice with her scales and sword come in to weigh and determine. But, in God, Mercy rejoiceth over judgment. All a man's lifetime is the reign of grace. Till he closes his eyes, mercy weeps over him, to melt his stony heart. God's own Son, whose daughter Mercy is, weeps over him, to melt his stony heart-He shows to him his wounds, and his cross, telling him he hath died once, and could die again to save him. There is no argument he does not use-calling upon us by our ancient noble stock, from God derived, not to degenerate-calling upon us by all heavenly affections lurking still within us, love of excellence, gratitude for favours, desire of self-satisfaction and inward peace, to attach ourselves to God-calling upon us by the assurance of a glorious regeneration, and reinstatement in the divine image through the powerful operation of the Spirit, to cleave unto the Lord;-finally, calling upon us by an unspeakable weight of glory to be revealed in heaven, to persevere in the service of God. There is nothing noble, nothing tender, nothing spirit-stirring, which the Son of man doth not address unto his brethren. His words drop over them like the tears of a mother over her darling child. He watches and waits for their late return-He comes to their sick-bed suing, and to their death-bed he comes praying. He stands at the door of every heart, and knocks. Our enemies he fought unto the death, and he

hath conquered them in death. He hath singly beat our tyrants, and put into every man's hand a patent of his liberty. And now he goeth about and about amongst us, rousing us with songs and sweet melody to rise from slavery, and be ourselves again. He asks nothing of us for what he hath done-he lays on no new mastery-but shows the ways of heaven and of sinless happy creatures, and craves us, by the memory of his death, and by our own eternal life—all our life long craves us to be ourselves again, to be the noble sons of God, as our father was.

Is this a reign of terror? a reign of judgment? a reign of punishment? What then is a reign of mercy, persuasion and forgiveness?—He takes no hostages of you, lays on no fines for the past, no penalties for the future-free forgiveness even unto the end, unto sincere repentance. Surely God is slower to judgment than man is-Surely unto the last he putteth off-Surely there is not any thing he would not do, sooner than bring it to the grand and finishing crisis.

The argument of this discourse thus completes itself. Man, it seems, by all his institutions for securing his welfare, is made for responsibility, and for submitting himself to judgment, when all other methods fail of preserving the peace. This is the nature of man, wherever he is found, and into whatever community he enters. God, legislating for man, hath adapted himself to this his nature, placing him under responsibility; yet taking every measure of his wisdom, and applying to every faculty of human nature by each kindly, noble method, to secure sweet harmony; putting off issues of judgment to the last, and not ringing the knell of doom until every other note and signal hath entirely failed to have effect. Therefore, he having taken that course which men uniformly take and admire, is devoutly to be adorned for accommodating himself so sweetly to our nature and our condition.

OF JUDGMENT TO COME.

PART II.

THE CONSTITUTION UNDER WHICH IT HATH PLEASED GOD TO PLACE THE WORLD.

HAVING shown at length in our former discourse that it is not unpleasant to the nature of man, nor uncongenial with the softest, tenderest, relations of human life, to be held under responsibility to God, and amenable to his future judgment, we now proceed to examine the constitution under which he hath actually placed us, and upon which he is to enter into judgment with the sons of men. For God, who in this respect, might be a pattern to all law-givers, hath so contrived it in his wisdom, that his laws and ordinances should be within narrow compass, and he hath brought them by his providence within the reach of small expense, while in his wisdom he hath written them, so that he who runneth may read, and the way-faring man, though a fool, shall not err therein. Upon man, therefore, the knowledge of them is incumbent; and surely he will not hold us guiltless if we refuse to lend our ear to the hearing of those words which he hath been at so much pains to reveal. Let us, therefore, gird up the loins of our mind, and draw near with full purpose to discover what the Lord our God, our Creator and our preserver, our father and our friend, requireth of his children, in order that, if we find it good and wholesome to our nature, we may walk before him in the cheerful obedience of an enlightened and convinced mind. For while allegiance to any constitution, human or divine, is blind prejudice and slavery, so long as you know it not, neither are convinced of its wisdom, it doth become,