in divine providence; how can they be reconciled with the infinite benevolence of God? They speculate on these matters; but their speculations are in vain. There is a depth and a height which their reason cannot reach. If any man thinks he is able to solve these difficult questions by mere reasoning, he will find his mistake. Brethren, there is a more excellent way. We want a state of mind — a light from above shining within us, which will supersede the necessity of these speculative inquiries, and will settle it at once as a primary truth, a precious reality, that God is love, and that amid all the evils which exist, his love and wisdom reign; that he means the most lamentable events for good, and will in the end make them subservient to good. Happy, thrice happy are they who have this inward teaching of the Spirit, opening their eyes to behold the unchangeable love of God, and to see with wonder and joy the displays which he continually makes of it in all that they enjoy, and in all that they suffer, and in all the good and all the evil that takes place in the world. Happy they who have made this blessed discovery, and who make it more and more clearly and fully as they advance in the divine life, and who anticipate the time when the discovery will be perfect. This brings me to the third period of spiritual illumination. The highest knowledge of the love of God which we attain in the present life, is imperfect. We see through a glass darkly. But there is a time at hand, when we shall see God face to face. How clear will be the light which will shine around us and within us in the heavenly world! In that celestial light it will be made evident, that the complaints and objections of sinful men were all groundless, and that the war they had been waging against God, was a war of wickedness against infinite goodness. The wicked themselves will see this, and they will stand guilty and self-condemned before God. But this celestial light will bring joy unspeakable and full of glory to the saints. In the world below they began to discover the love of God; they began to experience the fruits of that love, and hoped they should experience them in larger measures, in the world above. Now they realize their most exalted hopes. They remember that they began in the world below to taste and see that the Lord is good; and they bless God that he opened their eyes to see his goodness; and they wonder they did not see it more clearly. When they cast their thoughts back over the scenes they passed through in their probationary state, they see that their path from the beginning to the end of life, was strewed with the fruits of God's love. They see, as they never saw before, the forbearance and goodness of God towards them, while they lived in sin. They now see far more clearly than they ever saw in the world below, the glory of God's eternal and sovereign love, which provided a Saviour for them, and inclined their hearts to receive him; that love which watched over them through their whole course; which strengthened them in their weakness; which delivered them from the power of their enemies; which guarded them against the ruinous effects of a deceitful and wicked heart; which restored their wandering feet; which sustained and comforted them in all their trials, and made them conquerors and more than conquerors. When they look towards the pit of destruction, with a full consciousness, that it is their merited portion, and yet find that they are saved from it, and that an abundant entrance has been ministered to them into the kingdom of heaven, and that they are brought there, not by works of righteousness which they have done, but by the abounding grace of God; oh! what a clear view, what a vivid impression they will have of the immeasurable love of their God and Saviour! and with what wonder and delight will they dwell upon it. Their conception of divine love is so much superior to anything attained to before, that it seems to be a new discovery. It is indeed a new discovery; for they not only see with greater clearness what they saw in part before, but they see much that was concealed from them, even in their most favored state on earth. They began to discover the goodness of God when they were first enlightened. That was their childhood, the first period of discovery. The second period followed the period of youth; and through that period their knowledge of the God of love was increasing in clearness. Now they have come to the period of complete manhood in the world above; that world which needs not our inferior lights because God himself is the Sun that shines perpetually there, and the splendor of his character fills the minds of all the inhabitants with perfect light. And yet their knowledge of God will constantly increase, because their capacity will increase; and their continual experience of the blessedness which comes from the inexhaustible treasures of divine love will make constant additions to their knowledge. This is the heaven of the saints; to be forever with God, to behold his glory, forever to love him, and forever to enjoy his love. This is the life eternal promised to believers. This is the fulness of joy, and pleasure forevermore. TWO SERMONS DELIVERED IN THE CHAPEL OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, ANDOVER, SERMON I. Isaiah 55: 8, 9.- LET THE WICKED FORSAKE HIS WAY, AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAN HIS THOUGHTS, AND LET HIM RETURN UNTO THE LORD, AND HE WILL HAVE MERCY UPON HIM, AND TO OUR GOD, FOR HE WILL ABUNDANTLY PARDON. FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NEITHER ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS, SAITH THE LORD. FOR AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH; SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS. THE prophet here speaks in the name of God, and says: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, or, as it is in the original, he will multiply pardons, and then he adds, "for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth; so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." The Lord will abundantly pardon-for his thoughts and ways are inconceivably higher than ours. This then is the sentiment of the text; that the mercy which God exercises in the forgiveness of sin is exceedingly above that which is found in the heart of man. This sentiment we are now particularly to consider. And may God grant that our contemplations on this subject may inspire us with devout admiration of the height and depth of divine mercy. Turn then your thoughts to this theme in which we are all so deeply concerned, and consider in what respects the mercy which God exercises in forgiveness, exceeds that which is found in man. First. The mercy of God in forgiveness is far above that which is found in man, in respect to the number of the offences which he forgives. The prophet says, he will multiply pardons. And the Apostle says: "the free gift is of many offences to justification." In this respect, God's thoughts and ways are far superior to ours. The spirit of forgiveness is contrary to our natural disposition. Unrenewed man, when insulted or injured, is resentful, and meditates revenge. And even Christians find it hard to forgive, especially if the offences committed against them are multiplied. There is no part of the Christian character in which we are commonly more deficient. When anything is done to lower our reputation, or to interfere with our worldly interests; how quick are our resentful passions to kindle! And if, through divine grace, we attain to a feeling of forgiveness towards a person, who injures us once, or in a few instances; how are our kind feelings overcome, and our resentment excited, if his injuries are many times repeated. What a long struggle would most of us have with our own hearts, before we could come to a feeling of real forgiveness and kindness towards one who had, in numberless instances, been acting the part of an enemy, and had plotted and labored, to injure us. Even if he should repent, still how difficult it would be to forgive and forget so many offences. Such is man. How feeble and scanty is the feeling of forgiveness in our hearts! And to how few offences does it reach. Think now of the mercy of God. How high does it rise above what is found in man! The sins which we have committed against God, are more than can be numbered. We multiply our offences. But God can multiply pardons still more. Our transgressions abound; but his forgiving mercy superabounds. Secondly. The same appears in regard to the number of of |