earth, having dominion over all inferiour creatures of earth, and in the fea. The moral image of God muf be implied and particularly intended, as it is afferted without any limitation, or reftriction to the natural image of God, and to be in his moral image, is unspeakably the greatcft, most important and excellent: And with out which, his natural abilities, and dominion over al other creatures, would be worfe than nothing. But wer there any doubt about the meaning, St. Paul puts beyond difpute in giving the true and important fenfe the image of God.* "And be renewed in the fpirit your mind; and that ye put on the new men, which a ter God (that is, after his image or likeness) is created righteoufnefs, and true holiness."+ "And have put the new man, which is renewed in image of him that created him." This is parallel wit the paffage cited from the epiftle to the Ephefians, an therefore by knowledge here, is meant that true difcer ing which implies holiness, and which Chrift fays is ete nal life, even to know the only true God, and Je Chrift. Therefore, according to St. Paul, to be creat after the image or likeness of God, is to be made tru holy, or to put on his moral image. To the fame pu pofe he fays, "But we all with open face, beholdi as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into fame image." The glory of the Lord, is his holine changed into the fame image, is to made like God in holiness.

therefore to be

knowledge, after t

Man was not only put at the head of this world, th earth, in which he was made, and all creatures and thin in it; which were all made for him: but the who creation was made with reference to him, and, in a fenf for him; fo that he is the end of all, under God, an next to to him. It has been obferved, that the materi or natural creation, however large we may fuppofe it t

Eph. iv. 23, 24.

+ Cel. iii. or

be;

2 Cor. iii. 18.

be; and even though it may exceed our imagination, was made with reference to the moral world, and for the fake of that; and that angels and men are moft probably, the only moral agents which were created; and that God's moral, eternal kingdom will confift of thefe only. For the fake of these then the worlds were made; they are the end of all God's works, next to himself, who is the ultimate end of all; for God hath made all things for himself. He made the material, natural world for angels and men, to promote his defigns concerning them; who are the end of all his other works, for himself.

And though man in his natural powers and capacities, and in his fituation and circumftances, was firft made lower than the angels, and in many refpects, inferiour to them; yet, we learn, from the fcriptures, that he is more an ultimate end in the creation, than the angels; or that the angels were made for man, and not man for the angels. We may know the particular end for which God makes any creature or thing by the use to which he puts it, or the end which he makes it to answer. And the ripture teaches us that the angels are improved to anwer God's ends refpecting man, and that he uses them all in the fervice of man.* "Are they (the angels) not ll miniftering fpirits, fent forth to minifter to them who hall be heirs of falvation ?". It appears from divine rerelation, that God defigned to answer his ultimate end of the creation chiefly, and in the moft eminent degree by man; and therefore all other creatures and things are fubordinated to him, and made to answer the divine purpofes with refpect to him, even the angels, the highest and most noble order of beings that were created. The buman race were the peculiar favourites of heaven. The molt important and glorious ends were defigned to be an wered by them. The redeemed from among men, the church, is the bride, the lamb's wife, is to be raised

* Heb. i. 14.

in

fible part of the creation: And that this Being exifts independent, neceffarily, and therefore without beginning, abfolutely and infinitely perfect, happy and glorious. And the more we attend to the creation, and examine the great works, the fun, moon and ftars, or this, globe on which we live, and the various ranks of creatures which come uuder our notice, the more clear and striking will be the evidence of defign, and of the power, wil dom and goodness of the Creator. And we ought hereby to be led fenfibly to fay with the Pfalmift, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom haft thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches." And may well join with the four and twenty Elders, "faying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and henour, and power; for thou haft created all things, and for thy plea fure they are, and were created."

II. FROM what has been obferved concerning the creation of man, his endowments, and circumftances, we are led particularly to reflect upon the goodness of God to him, in making a world for him, every way furnished for his convenience and happiness; in forming him fo the moral world, by giving him understanding and mor al liberty, in acting voluntarily in the view of mora motives; thus making him a moral agent, capable o virtue or vice, of reward or punishment; and therefor immortal, giving him an existence never to end. H made him lord of the world in which he was placed giving him dominion over all the creatures in the earth and fea. He formed him in his own image, after hi likeness, a perfectly holy creature, which is the highet excellence in the universe, by which he was united to his Creator in perfect love and friendship, enjoying a fwee and happy intercourse and intimacy with him.

In this happy state all mankind were created and plac ed; for, as has been observed, all the pofterity of Adam

were

included in him, and what was done for him, was done for all. And we ought to confider ourselves as originally placed in the happy ftate in which Adam was created. And if Adam was under obligation to exercise peculiar gratitude to his maker for his wonderful goodness to him, we are to confider ourselves under the fame obligation to gratitude for creating goodness, and view all the kindnefs conferred on our firft parents in their creaation, as conferred on all their pofterity. And if the apoftacy of Adam, by which he fell from this happy state, and plunged into unspeakable wretchedness, did not diffolve his obligation to gratitude for the happy ftate in which he was at firft placed, and the goodness of God to him herein; as it certainly did not; then, notwithstanding his and our fin has rendered us miferable, we are not for this reafon under the lefs obligation to gratitude for the goodness of God to us in our creation, and the happy ftate in which he placed mankind, in which Adam and all his race would have continued forever, had they not fallen from it, by rebellion against their Creator.

III. We are hence led to fee, and reflect upon, the magnitude and aggravation of the crime of the first rebellion of man against God. Man's obligations were very way infinitely great to love and obey his Creator. The greatnefs, excellence and infinite worthiness, of God, rought an infinite obligation on man to love and obey m. His deriving his being wholly from God, and he confequent abfolute propriety and right, God had o him, increased his obligation to devote all he was and il he had, to him, to his honour and fervice. And his particular and great goodness to man, unspeakably inreafed his obligations to obedience, love and gratitude. And as it was his fupreme happiness to love, ferve and Enjoy God, and in this way only he could fecure to himelf and his pofterity perfect and eternal felicity; and

by

by refusing to do this, muft bring upon himself the infi nite difpleasure of his Maker, and fink into complete and eternal wo, with all his pofterity; this brought an im menfe addition of obligation on him, to love and obedi ence.*

What finite mind can measure or comprehend, the greatnefs, the aggravations of the crime, in man's violat ing all the fe obligations, by rifing in rebellion again his Creator and owner, and ungratefully abufing his infinite goodness to him! Surely the crime of this is un measurable by man or angels. We must pronounce i boundless, or infinite, which can therefore be compre hended by God alone; who has proclaimed the infi nitude of it, by threatning it with infinite evil, even end lefs mifery.

CHAP. VI.

It has been thought by fome, that to suppose every sin which men con mit against God, is an infinite evil, or a crime infinitely great, is to ma every fin of equal magnitude, and that, according to this, one crime cann be greater and more aggravated than another. And this objection m arife in the minds of fome readers, when they attend to this reprefentati of the many aggravations of fin, by which the crime of it is increased, wh it is at the same time afferted, that every fin is infinitely criminal, as it committed against God.

All this may be easily obviated, only by obferving, that every fin, and t deserved punishment of it, may be infinite in one respect ; and yet fome f and the just punishment of them, be unfpeakably greater than others, the being in other refpects, a great difference. Two cords or cylinders may confidered as extended in length without end, or to be infinitely long; of equal extenfion in length; and yet differ greatly in their diameters; a in this respect, have vastly different degrees of magnitude. Two men m be in pain, and yet one them, may fuffer an unspeakably greater degree pain, than the other; and if the pain of each were continued without et he who fuffers the leaft would be doomed to infinite evil; yet the oth muft fuffer evil unspeakably greater, ery minute.