feedeth them." He directs the coursing of the spheres; and the heavens declare his glory; and their words are gone out into the ends of the world. And the flowers, whose beauty is so soon withered and gone-he clothes them so superbly in that moment of their transitory existence, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of them. And you, my brethren, whom he has made in his own image, whom he has enlightened with his Spirit, whom he has called into his own kingdom-can you believe that you are overlooked-that you alone, of all the creatures of his hand, are exempt from obedience, or not beneath the eye of his fatherly regard? "Are ye not much better than they?" And if in this life there seems to be some disorder in the recompense of good and bad-if it seems that virtue is not always favoured, and punishment is sometimes slow in pursuit of vice-consider the eternity of him whose counsels direct the whole. Consider how little we are able to fathom his

purpose, or understand his designs. The duration of the world's existence scarce unravels the thread of a single dispensation how then can man of threescore years and ten comprehend the eternal justice to be dealt to the impenitent, and the mercy he has in store for them that love him, throughout all generations.

Of his goodness every thing that is nourished and sustained around us bears. abundant evidence. He does not wrap himself up in abstraction regardless of the concerns of his creatures. His love is over all his works. His fostering care cherishes, directs, supports; and that which he has deemed worthy of existence, he deems worthy of preservation also. By him all things consist." "The Lord

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is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works:" boundless as his universal labours, and endless as all the ages of eternity. The whole creation talks aloud of his bounty, and echoes with repetitions of his kindness. That carol of songsters of wood and field, when

spring puts forth new buds and verdure: that lighting up of heaven's luminaries, when the morning-star preludes the dawn of day that gorgeous apparel of bloom and foliage, with which nature decorates her shrines, and robes her priesthood:these all constitute the worship of one vast temple, the world, from which the voice of praise is offered to its Creator; and each morning from the vale that is watered by a thousand springs, and from the dewy meadow, and the mountain-side, the mists ascend as grateful incense to the Lord.

Let not man shew himself the sole being of creation insensible to the goodness of his Creator. Let him too adore, and worship, and as he is endowed with the higher faculties of moral responsibility, let him also serve. Let him love God with all his heart. In this table of the commandments, as well as in the second, love is the fulfilling of the law: for he that sincerely loves God, will also sincerely serve him.

"Thou shalt have none other gods but me." Let us not deem it impossible to break this commandment; but rather consider, in how many ways we may really remove the Almighty from the first place in our hearts, and admit others to the seat he ought to occupy. Let us not dissemble with ourselves on this the foundation of all religion. For, he that hath not the Lord for his God, how can he believe or do any thing, that God has said, or appointed to be done?

SERMON III.

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT.

EXODUS, XX. 4.

Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image.

To represent God, that is, or be an object of worship.

The first commandment enjoins, that we shall have none other gods but the Lord. The second is not a mere repetition of what was included under the first. It is not an idle tautology renewing the same order to have none other gods. It is not a verbal variation with the same sense, "Thou shalt not worship other gods." The object of all divine honour was defined and determined before. The