and to declare an everlasting war against him in the persons of all who durst declare in his favor!

But however, the more impracticable the redemption of mankind seemed, the more did God display the greatness of his counsel and the abundance of his power in effecting it; for he turned all the triumphs of Satan to the destruction of his dominion.

The Branch was lodged in a stable, the King of the universe did lie in a manger; but a star in the heavens announced his birth, angels conducted worshippers to him from the most distant castern countries, and joined their own adorations to those of the wise men, who offered to him their gold, their frankincense and their myrrh.

His attendants were only a few fishermen and publicans; but this served the more effectually to secure his doctrine from the most odious objections that could be opposed against it. The meaner the vessel appears, the more excellent seems the treasure contained in it: the weaker the instruments employed in building the church appear, the more evident will the ability of the builder be. These fishermen confounded philosophers; these publicans struck the Rabbies dumb; the winds and the waves were subject to their authority; and to their com mands all the powers of nature were seen to bow.

He was apprehended like a malefactor, and crucified; but upon the cross he bruised the serpent's head while Satan vaunted of bruising his heel, Gen. iii. 15. Upon the cross he spoiled principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it, Col. ii. 15.

He was wrapped in burying clothes, laid on a bier, and, with all the mournful furniture of death, deposited in a tomb: but by this he conquered death, and disarmed him of his sting, 1 Cor. xv.

56. By this he furnished thee, christian, with armour of proof against the attacks of the tyrant, who would enslave thee, and whose formidable approaches have caused thee so many fears.

He was rejected by his own countrymen, even after he had risen victorious from the tomb, laden with the spoils of the king of terrors, Job xviii. 14. but their rejection of him animated his apostles to shake off the dust from their feet against those execrable men, who, after they had murdered the master, endeavored to destroy the disciples, and put them upon lifting up the standard of the cross in every other part of the universe, and thus the heathen world was bound to his triumphal chariot, and the whole earth saw the accomplishment of those prophecies, which had foretold that he should reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. How great the counsel! my dear brethren, how mighty the work! Ah, Lord God, there is nothing too hard for thee. Thou art the great, the mighty God, the Lord of hosts is thy name, great in counsel, and mighty in work.

Here we may pause, and very properly come to a conclusion of this discourse; for, though we proposed at first to consider the greatness of God's counsel, and the omnipotence of his working, in a practical light, after having examined them speculatively, yet, methinks, the examination of the subject in one point of light, is the explication of it in both. When we have proved that God is great in counsel, and mighty in work, in my opinion, we have sufficiently shown, on the one hand, the extravagance of those madmen, who, in the language of the wise man, pretend to exercise wisdom and understanding and counsel against the Lord, Prov. xxi. S0. and, on the other, the wisdom of those, who, taking his laws for the only rules of

their conversation, commit their peace, their lives, and their salvations, to the disposal of his providence. Only let us take care, my dear brethren, (and with this single exhortation we conclude) let us take care, we do not flatter ourselves into an opinion that we possess this wisdom while we are destitute of it: and let us take care, while we exclaim against the extravagance of those madmen, of whom I just now spoke, that we do not imitate their dangerous examples.

But what! Is it possible to find, among beings who have the least spark of reason, an individual mad enough to suppose himself wiser than that God, who is great in counsel, or, is there one who dare resist a God mighty in working? My brethren, one of the most difficult questions, that we meet with in the study of human nature, is, whether some actions in men's lives proceed from intentions in their minds. To affirm, or to deny, is equally difficult. One the one hand, we can hardly believe that an intelligent creature can revolve intentions in his mind directly opposite to intelligence, and the extravagance of which the least ray of intelligence seems sufficient to discover. On the other, we can hardly think it possible, that this creature should follow a course of life altogether: founded on such an intention, if indeed he have it not in his mind. The truth is, a question of this kind may be either affirmed or denied according to the different lights in which it is considered. Put these questions to the most irregular of mankind: Dost thou pretend to oppose God? Hast thou the presumption to attempt to prevail over him by the superiority of knowledge and power? Put these questions simply, apart from the conduct, and you will hardly meet with one, who will not answer No. But examine the conduct, not only

of the most irregular men, but even of those, who imagine their behavior is the most prudent? penetrate those secret thoughts, which they involve in darkness in order to conceal the horror of them from themselves; and you will soon discover that they, who answered so pertinently to your questions when you proposed them simply, will actually take the opposite side when you propose the same questions relatively. But who then, you will ask me, who are those men, who presumptuously think of overcoming God by their superior knowledge and power?

Who? It is that soldier, who, with a brutal courage, defies danger, dares death, resolutely marches amidst fires and flames, even though he hath taken no care to have an interest in the Lord of hosts, or to commit his soul to his trust.

Who? It is that statesman, who, despising the suggestions of evangelical prudence, pursues stratagems altogether worldly; who makes no scruple of committing what are called state-crimes; who, with a disdainful air, affects to pity us, when we affirm, that the most advantageous service a wise legislator can perform for society, is to render the Deity propitious to it; that the happiest nations are those whose God is the Lord, Psa. xxxiii. 12.

Who? It is that philosopher, who makes a parade of I know not what stoical firmness; who conceits himself superior to all the vicissitudes of life; who boasts of his tranquil expectation of death, yea, who affects to desire its approach, for the sake of enjoying the pleasure of insulting his casuist, who hath ventured to foretel that he will be terrified at it.

Who? It is that voluptuary, who opposeth to all our exhortations and threatenings, to the most affecting denunciations of calamities from God in

this life, and to the most awful descriptions of judgment to come in the next, to all our representations of hell, of an eternity spent in the most execrable company, and in the most excruciating pain; who opposeth to all these the buzz of amusements, the hurry of company, gaming at home, or diversions abroad.

Study all these characters, my brethren, lay aside the specious appearances that men use to conceal their turpitude from themselves, and you will find that, to dare the Deity, to pretend by superior knowledge and strength to resist the wisdom and omnipotence of God, is not so rare a disposition as you may at first have supposed.

Let us abhor this disposition of mind, my brethren; let us entertain right notions of sin; let us consider him who commits it as a madman, who hath taken it into his head that he hath more knowledge than God the fountain of intelligence, more strength than he beneath whose power all the creatures of the universe are compelled to bow. When we are tempted to sin, let us remember what sin is : Let each of us ask himself, What can I, a miserable man, mean? Do I mean to provoke the Lord to jealousy? 1 Cor. x. 22. Do I pretend to be stronger than he? Can I resist his will? Rom. ix. 19. Shall I set briars and thorns against him in battle? He will go through them, he wilt burn them together, Isa. xxvii. 5. Let us seek those benefits in a communion with the great God, of which our fanciful passions can only offer the shadows. Let us not pretend to deceive him by the subtilty of our stratagems; but let us endeavor to please him by acknowledging our doubts, our darkness, and our ignorance; the fluctuations of our minds about the government of the state, the management of our families, and, above all, the sal