points of the heavens, from which it never deviates, but in a very small degree; but were the hand of Omnipotence to bend it so as to make it point in a different direction, the ocean would abandon its present bed, and overflow the land; and a second universal deluge would overwhelm all the monuments of human grandeur, and sweep the earth's inhabitants into a watery grave.

Again, not only the elements which immediately surround us, but even celestial bodies which are just now invisible to our sight, and removed to the distance of a thousand millions of miles, might be employed as ministers of vengeance.There are at least a hundred comets connected with the solar system, which are moving in all directions, and crossing the orbits of the earth, and the other planets. Were the orbit of one of these bodies, in its approach to the sun, to be bent in a direction to that of the earth, the most alarming phenomena would be exhibited in the heavens. A ruddy globe, larger in appearance than the moon, would first announce terror to the inhabitants of the earth-every day this terrific object would increase in size, till it appeared to fill the celestial hemisphere with its tremendous disk ;-the light of the sun would be eclipsed the stars would disappear-the ocean would be thrown into violent agitation, and toss its billows to the clouds --the earth would reel to and fro, like a drunkard"-and universal alarm and confusion would seize upon all the tribes of the living world. At length, this tremendous orb would approach with accelerated velocity, and, striking the earth with a crash, as if heaven and earth had burst asunder, would shiver the globe into fragments, and for ever exterminate the race of man.

It will at once be admitted, by every one who acknowledges the incessant agency of a Supreme Being in the movements of the universe, that any one, or all of these effects combined, are within the compass of Omnipotence; and not only so, but they might all be accomplished with terrific energy in the course of a few moments. If puny man, by his mechanical dexterity, can suddenly stop a stupendous machine which he has put in motion--if he can impel red hot balls at the rate of 500 miles an hour-if he can extract the oxygen from a small portion of the atmosphere, and cause it to set on fire the hardest metallic substances-we cannot doubt for a moment, that, with infinitely greater ease, 'the Almighty could stop the earth in its career, separate the component parts of the atmosphere, set on fire the foundations of the mountains, or impel the blazing comet towards the earth, to crush it to atoms. That God

has been a constant spectator of the wickedness of man for four thousand years; that he has, during all that period, wielded in his hands so many terrific ministers of vengeance; and that he has hitherto refrained from executing deserved punishment on the workers of iniquity-is, therefore, a striking evidence that his mercy is infinite, and that he is "long-suffering and slow to anger, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

It would, however, be a most unwarrantable conclusion, from this circumstance, to imagine that God beholds with indifference the scenes of iniquity that are hourly presented before him. In order to show that he is not an unconcerned spectator of the ways of men, and that the instruments of punishment are always in his hand, he sometimes "cometh out of his place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity," and displays the holiness of his nature, by “terrible things in righteousness." In such visitations, "his way is in the whirlwind and the storm; clouds and darkness are round about him; a fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about; the stormy winds are his messengers, and flames of fire his ministers; the clouds pour out their waters; the sky sends forth a sound; the voice of his thunder is in the heavens; his lightnings enlighten the world; the earth quakes and the people tremble." The hurricane, which tears up whole forests by the roots, and tosses them about as stubble, which levels the loftiest spires with the ground, and dashes the stateliest ships against each other, till they are broken into shivers, and plunged into the deep; the lightnings, which fill the atmosphere with their blaze, which shatter the strongest buildings, and strike whole herds of cattle into a lifeless group; the pestilence, "which walketh in darkness," and cuts off thousands of its victims in a day; the volcano, belching forth rivers of fire, causing surrounding cities to tremble, and sending forth its bellowings over a circuit of a thousand miles ;these, and many other agents which are in operation in the system of nature, are experimental proofs of the dreadful energy of those ministers of destruction, which are constantly under the superintendence of the Almighty, and of his occasionally using them for the purpose of chastising the nations for their iniquities.

In particular, the earthquake is one of the most terrible and destructive instruments of vengeance. In the year 1755, the shock of an earthquake was felt at Lisbon, which levelled to the ground more than the half of that populous city, and buried fifty thousand of its inhabitants in the ruins. The shock

extended its influence over an extent of four millions of square miles; and therefore, it is easy to conceive, that, had a little greater impulse been given to the physical agents which produced this terrible effect, the solid globe on which we stand might have been convulsed to its centre, and all its inhabitants crushed to death, amidst the universal ruin.

We have also an experimental proof, that there are physical principles in the constitution of our globe, sufficient to give it a shock throughout every part of its solid mass, and that such a shock, at one period, it actually received. When the wickedness of man became great upon the earth, "when every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," the fountains of the great deep were broken up, the cataracts of heaven were opened, and the whole solid crust of our globe received such a shock as rent the mountains asunder, and hurled them into the plains; the effects of which are still visible, in every Alpine district, and in the subterraneous caverns of the earth. Of all the millions of the race of Adam that then existed, only eight individuals, after having been tossed for seven months on the tremendous billows of a boundless ocean, survived, to tell to their posterity the tidings of this universal wreck. The dreadful scenes of horror and consternation which must have been presented at this awful crisis; the stupendous forces which must have been in operation in the atmosphere above, and in the foundations of the earth beneath, and the tremendous clash of elemental war which must have ensued, throughout every region of earth, air, and sea, it is beyond the power of the human imagination to depict, in all their terrific grandeur. But we have every reason to conclude, that the bottom of the ocean was lifted up to the level of the loftiest mountains, that disruptions of the mountains and of the densest rocks ensued, that dreadful explosions resounded throughout the whole expanse of Nature, and that the mighty waters hurled their billows with resistless fury in every direction, rolling immense rocks and forests from one continent to another, and whirling the wrecks of different regions to the opposite extremities of the globe.

Were it at any time the intention of the Almighty to inflict deserved punishment on a particular district, or class of men, without deranging the whole structure of our globe, we have also an experimental proof how easily this could be effected, even without infringing the established laws of nature. has only to condense the powerful energies of the electrical fluid in a large cloud, and to despatch it on the wings of the wind, to discharge its thunderbolts on any particular city, or

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mountain, or plain,—and the work of destruction is instantly accomplished. A striking instance of this kind happened, in the year 1772, in the island of Java, in the East Indies. On the 11th of August, at the dead hour of night, a bright cloud was observed covering a mountain in the district of Cheribon, and at the same moment several reports were heard, like those of a cannon. The people who dwelt on the upper parts of the mountain not being able to fly with sufficient swiftness, a great part of the cloud, about nine miles in circumference, detached itself under them, and was seen at a distance, rising and falling like the waves of the sea, and emitting globes of fire so luminous, that the night became as clear as day. The effects of this dreadful explosion were astonishing. Every thing was destroyed for twenty miles around. The houses were demolished; the plantations were buried in the earth; vast numbers of goats, sheep, and horses, and 1500 head of cattle were destroyed; and above two thousand human beings were in a moment plunged into the gulf of eternity.* "With God is terrible Majesty. Who can stand before his indignation? who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? The mountains quake before him; the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence." "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.”

*In this, and the other illustrations of this subject stated above, I consider the Divine Being as the grand agent in directing the operations of the elements, but without infringing those general laws which are found to operate with undeviating constancy in the system of the universe. To explore the manner in which these general laws are directed to produce certain specific effects, in reference to particular regions and tribes of mankind, must obviously be beyond the limits of our faculties; unless we could enter into all the designs of the Eternal Mind, when he gave birth to the universe, and arranged its elementary parts; and unless we could take a comprehensive view of the remotest tendencies of the elements of nature, and the times and circumstances in which they shall produce a specific and extraordinary effect. All these tendencies and circumstances were before the Mind of the Eternal Jehovah, when he established the plan of his moral government; and, therefore, whatever events may occur in the physical system, must be considered as the accomplishment of his moral purposes, in reference to the moral agents he has created. It would be presumptuous in so limited a being as man, to determine, in every case, what is the precise moral reason of the extraordinary destructive effects of physical agents. We can only say, in general, that they are connected with the sin and depravity of man. But, at that solemn day, when the reasons of the Divine dispensations shall be laid open, it will perhaps be found, that such uncommon and alarming effects were the punishment of aggravated transgressions, the peculiar malignity and tendency of which were removed, in a great measure, beyond the sphere of general observation.

Thus it appears, that God is not an unconcerned spectator of the ways of men--that he has every moment at his command, the most destructive elements of nature-and that we have abundant proofs that these destructive elements have been occasionally used, for inflicting condign punishment on the workers of iniquity. Notwithstanding these resources of vengeance, we find, by experience, that his mercy is exercised, from year to year, and from century to century, towards a world, the majority of whose inhabitants are daily trampling under foot his sacred institutions, and his holy laws. The instances which occur, of the devastations of the hurricane, the thunder, the volcano, the earthquake, and the pestilence, are comparatively few, and seem intended chiefly to arouse the attention of thoughtless and ungrateful man; to prevent him from running to the extreme of wickedness; and to convince him that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men," and that "verily there is a God who judgeth in the earth." Hence we may perceive the striking emphasis of the language of the inspired writers: "The Lord is slow to anger," and yet great in power.'

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This display of the exercise of perfect self-command in the Divine Mind, is, therefore, calculated, as well as his wisdom and goodness, to inspire us with emotions of Reverence, Admiration, and Love. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

SECTION VI.

Of the Rectitude of the Divine Character.

Another perfection in the character of God, which is calculated to inspire confidence and affection, is his Justice, or, the Rectitude of his nature.

The Rectitude of the Divine Being, in its most extensive sense, consists in doing that which, in all cases, is right, upon the whole; or, in other words, that which will have the greatest tendency to promote the order and happiness of his universal empire. It includes under it, the idea of distributive justice, which consists in rewarding the good, and punishing the bad, according to equitable laws, calculated to produce harmony and happiness throughout the whole intelligent sys