Did we particularly confider the history of redemption, we would at every ftep find reafon to admire "the manifold wisdom of God;" as difplayed in the comprehenfive nature of the first revelation of grace, which is a beautiful fummary of all that hath fince been communicated to the Church; in its being expreffed in a free promife; in the feasonablenefs of this revelation in the choice of that divine Perfon, as the immediate Revealer, who was himself to bruife the head of the ferpent; in the inftitution of facrifices, as a perpetual and fenfible teftimony of the way in which fin fhould actually be expiated; in the falvation of the family of Noah by an ark, and by means of water, as figurative of the falvation of all who believe; in the appointment of a typical priesthood and royalty, as well as in raifing up prophets, who were at the fame time meffengers employed by the Angel of the covenant, and types of his future appearance in our world; in the whole frame of the Mofaic difpenfation, as a fhadow of good things to come; in the gradual increase of the light of revelation, as the more perfect day approached, when "the Sun of righteouf"nefs" should himself "arife with healing in his "wings."

How wonderful the difplay of divine wifdom, in the conftitution of the mediatory perfon of Jefus; in the formation of his body, of the fame fubftance with ours, yet without fin; in the choice of the time of his appearance, when "the world by wifdom knew not God ;" in the means employed

employed for the accomplishment of the prophecy as to his being born in Bethlehem, and for making it legally known that he was of the lineage of David; in the excitement of a general expectation, among Gentiles as well as Jews, of the appearance of an illuftrious and extraordinary person about this time; in the choice of his forerunner, in respect of the tribe of which he fprung, his immediate parents, the place of his nativity and education, his manner of life, his peculiar ministry, his great acceptableness to the people, his eminent faithfulness and intrepidity, his want of perfonal acquaintance with the Messiah, and the occafion and circumftances of his teftimony to him!

Here we might contemplate this perfection as displayed in the doctrine which Chrift taught ; in the character of his miracles; in the choice of the time and circumftances in which many of them were wrought, and in their peculiar fignificancy as emblems of his fpiritual work; in the employment of fo unlikely a mean as his own death, for deftroying the power of fin, Satan and death; in his being betrayed by one of his disciples, the natural confequence of which muft have been, that had the traitor known any thing detrimental to the character of his Master, he would undoubtedly have published it for his own vindication; in making the doctrine of the crofs the inftrument of fubduing the world to the obedience of faith.-But the nature of this work will not admit of fo particular a difcuffion.

We

We might also take an extenfive view of Divine Power. For the facred volume contains a ftriking and an ample hiftory of this perfection. Its glory illuminates the records of creation. No language can be imagined, that could fo forcibly express the infinite ease with which God effected this work, as that employed by the inspired historian. "God faid, Let light be, and light was." He " fpake, and it was done: he commanded, " and it ftood faft." His providential government is one continued difplay of omnipotence. "Day "unto day uttereth speech."

The Sacred History, in a great variety of inftances, illuftrates the meaning of that name which God fo frequently ufes,-JEHOVAH SABAOTH, or the LORD OF HOSTS,-a name which peculiarly expreffes his almighty power and univerfal dominion. Some have fuppofed, that Sabaoth is one of the proper names of God. But it is evident, that as the word fignifies hofts or armies, he is called the LORD, or God of hofts, because the various hofts of creatures are all the work of his hands, and obey his will. This is just an expreffion of his omnipotence. Hence we find, that the language of the feraphim, "Holy, holy, holy is "the LORD of hosts f," is applied to him by the four living creatures, with a change of expreffion denoting the meaning of the name; "Holy, holy, "holy LORD God Almighty "."

His

f Iía. vi. 3.

g Rev. iv. 8,

His is "the army of heaven." The different orders of holy angels are all his hofts, his " mini"fters that do his pleasure." He employs them as minifters both of providence and grace, and as inftruments either of judgment, or of mercy. By an angel, the vain-glorious Herod is fmitten h, and by an angel the faithful fervant of Jefus is delivered. Sometimes one of these heavenly meffengers fweeps away embattled hofts with "the "befom of deftruction." Thus an angel fmote, in the camp of the Affyrians, an hundred fourfcore and five thoufand. At other times, an army of angels is employed as a guard to one man. When the king of Syria fought to make Elifha his prifoner, and fent to Dothan "horses, "and chariots, and a great hoft," which compaffed the city; " behold, the mountain," on which it was built, was full of horfes and chariots of "fire round about Elifha." When the angels of God met Jacob on his way to his father's houfe, he faid, "This is God's hoft m.” "Are they not "all miniftering fpirits, fent forth to minifter to "the heirs of falvation ?"

He hath alfo legions of devils at his command, whom he employs, either for the trial of his faints, as in the experience of Job"; or for the punifhment of his adverfaries, as we learn from the account given of his judgments on the Egyptians; "He caft upon them the fiercenefs of his anger, "wrath and indignation, and trouble, by fending

"evil angels among them "." Thefe hellish hofts acknowledged Jefus as their Lord; confeffing that he had power to torment them, or to fend them whitherfoever he pleased.

Wicked men muft alfo be numbered among his hofts. For he "maketh the wrath of man to "praife him; the remainder of wrath fhall he "reftrain." Hence he calls Nebuchadnezzar his fervant P and all wicked men are his fervants in the fame fenfe: for he overrules their very wickedness for accomplishing his own purpofes. "His "fervants they are to whom they obey:" and although difobedient to the precept, they, without any intention on their part, as well as without any constraint on his, fulfil the purpose. For accomplishing his defigns of judgment, often he cmploys them against one another. Thus did he teftify his displeasure with the Midianites 9, and afterwards with the Philiftines', when they fought the deftruction of his people. He "fet every "man's fword against his fellow." Often hath he employed them as his inftruments in punishing a profeffing people for their iniquitics. Sennacherib, notwithstanding all his boafting and ftoutnefs of heart against the God of Ifracl, was only his fword. That God, whom he blafphemed, had fent him, although he knew it not, "against an "hypocritical nation." He was merely executing a commiflion, which he could not read; and fulfilling all God's counfel, although he viewed it

o Pfal. lxxviii. 49. r1 Sam. xiv. 20.

p Jer. xxvii. 6.

q Judg. vii. 22.

as