pleased God to shew us patience, at least in one instance, too powerful for unbelief: "for his ways are not like our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts."

He who would cure infidelity in others, must first be purged of the old leaven himself. To effect this in the heart of his servant Mofes, God vouchsafes to perform miracle upon miracle. He turns the rod which was in the hand of Mofes into a ferpent; and from a ferpent to a rod again: in order to intimate to him and to the world that the most harmless things become noxious, and the most pernicious things innocent, at his command. His hand is in a moment covered with leprosy, and in a moment restored-to shew the power of God's holy law to fix guilt upon the finner, and of his grace to remove it from the penitent. He is enjoined and authorized to perform these signs before all Ifrael, in order to produce that conviction in them, which they had first wrought upon his own mind. Should these still happen to fail, he is permitted to go a step farther. Nature shall submit to a thorough alteration, rather than the feed of faithful Abraham continue slaves in Egypt, or perish through unbelief. Water shall become blood before their eyes, rather than the blood of their innocent children be poured out any more like water upon the ground.

And now, furely, Mofes is gained, and the work of God shall no longer stand still. Alas! the fullen spirit is not yet fubdued. Though forced to retreat, he continues to fight as he retires. The flowness of Ifrael to believe, was formerly the plea; now his own want of talents is urged in excuse of his strange backwardness and disobedience. That objection too is immediately removed, by a promise of wisdom and eloquence fuited to the occasion. The language of the oracle, and the long-fuffering of the speaker, are miraculous and fupernatural, as all the other circumstances of the cafe. And the LORD faid unto him, VOL. III. Who

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Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the feeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt fay."*

"Wonder, O heavens, and be astonished, O earth!" This, instead of producing humble fubmiffion and instantaneous compliance, without a reafon and without a plea, meets with a direct refusal; "O my Lord, fend I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt fend." And now what heart does not tremble for fear, that the fire which had spared the bush, should wax hot, to punish the madness of the prophet? What patience can endure such a repetition of infult? The anger of the Lord was kindled against Mofes; andand what? O it becomes a flame of love to melt his heart, and purify it of its drofs. "The anger of the Lord was kindled against Mofes, and he faid, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he feeth thee, he will be glad in his heart." Providence had all this while been preparing a concluding, a convincing proof of power, wisdom and goodness inconceivable. Lo, Aaron is already far advanced on his way from Egypt, in queft of his brother.

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That, after fo long an interval, through a field of fo many chances, he should at that very instant of time arrive-How is it to be accounted for? On no other principle but this, the Lord is "wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working." "He feeth the end from the beginning." He faith, "My counsel shall stand, and I will fulfil all my pleasure." according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." Let every knee bow, let every tongue confefs, let every heart adore and love and fubmit.

Mofes is at length fubdued, and we stand with astonishment and joy to contemplate the triumph of mercy over judgment. God grant we may improve the example of his divine patience as a pattern. God in mercy preserve us from presuming upon it, as an encouragement to offend. And may God bless what has been spoken. Amen.

And Mofes spake so unto the children of Ifrael; but they hearkened not unto Mofes, for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.

EVERY nation has in its history events of peculiar importance, which latest posterity is disposed fondly to commemorate. But the memory of remarkable deliverances is necessarily blended with the recollection of heavy distress or imminent danger, and whether as men, or as citizens, we greatly rejoice, by that very joy we exprefsly declare that we, or our fathers, once had caufe to mourn. Perpetual funshine suits not the state of the natural world; perpetual success is by no means favourable either to human happiness or virtue. Hunger is necessary to give a relish to food; the gloom of winter is the happiest recommendation of the cheerfulness and bloom of spring. We discover the value of health by disease; and the blessings of peace would be but half understood, were it not for the antecedent anxieties and calamities of war. therefore act foolishly as well as impiously when they charge the wife, righteous and merciful Governor of the world, with carelessness or unkindness, because he admits into the system of his works, or into his moral government of the universe, what ignorance calls diforder, what prefumption cries down as unnecessary, and pride condemns as unjust...

Men

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What so irregular at first fight, and always fo to the vulgar eye, as the face of the starry heavens? A handful of little sparks, scattered at random in the air! But to the attentive, inquiring, enlightened fpirit, they present a vast combination of worlds, each in its place, every one moving in its proper orbit; the whole poffeffing every quality that can at once excite astonishment and inspire delight; greatness, order, beauty, harmony, utility! They present excellencies obvious to the flightest observation of the most shallow understanding; excellencies undiscoverable by the closest investigation of the most penetrating genius. Now, clownish thoughtlessness and stupidity is not more incompetent to judge of the order and frame of nature, than paffion and prejudice, by which all men are governed, are to determine upon the wisdom and goodness of the ways of Providence. Every man would have every thing bend to his humour, conveniency, indolence or interest. This would produce, were it permitted, endless confufion and mifery, did not God overrule and employ the activity and the indolence, the senseless caprices and the jarring interests of men to execute his purposes, and without their intention, nay, in spite of their efforts, make them productive of regularity, stability and happiness.

In contemplating, therefore, agents and events, those of which we have heard and read, or those which we fee and in which we are concerned, the only road to compofure and improvement is, to confider the whole as the work of a fupreme, intelligent, almighty, invisible Agent, who is carrying on a plan which we comprehend not, or understand only in part, and who, from all that we can know of him from nature, from experience and from revelation, takes delight in shewing mercy and doing good, but who, in the exercife of even these gracious prerogatives, governs not himfelf by the partial lights, hafty conceptions and contracted views of ignorant, erring men, but by his own allcomprehending