object according to one's own will. It is absolute, when no limit, but that will, exists. It is limited, when the rights of others put certain bounds to the right of use. Still the right of property is even then exclusive, as far as it goes. It is founded on a gift of the Creator-direct or indirect-as in the possession of our own faculties, a right to the air and the light of heaven; or to the returns of a bounteous Providence to the labor of our minds or bodies. It is also founded on a transfer of rights from some other owner, by gift, will, exchange, wages, or inheritance. These are the principal foundations of human ownership. God's are as different, and as much more elevated, as his nature is separate from, and lifted above ours. He has founded the laws of his empire upon his universal, absolute, and exclusive ownership. He has vindicated his treatment of his creatures by it; and he has condescended to show us the foundations of that right of property in everything that exists, and especially man.

1. The first is creation." The Lord hath made all things for himself. Of him, and through him, and to him are all things.' That formula contains this principle in a brief, clear, and simple maxim, which ought to be repeated every day by every human being. And on that principle he vindicates his sovereign disposal of man: "Have I not a right to do what I will with mine own!" There are but two qualifications to this absolute proprietorship recognized in the scriptures. The one is, the restraint of those eternal principles of justice, to which it is the pleasure and the glory of Jehovah to conform. He has conferred certain rights on man, by endowing him with rational faculties and a responsible agency. These rights he will ever sacredly regard, in all his dealings with man. The other restriction is, that God's absolute proprietorship does not exclude a full proprietorship in particular things, to be vested in individual man. Still it is strictly stewardship, rather than ownership. The other foundation of this property is,

2. Redemption.-Some regard the death of Christ, as having no literal redemptive efficacy. But this is very certain, that he claims a special property in man on the ground of his having died for us. "To this end, Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. He died for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them." This seems to be the reason for a special application of the title of Lord to him. He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords. All dominion, authority, power and property are subordinate to his dominion and ownership.

What then does the absolute owner claim of those in whom he has vested the possession, temporary or permanent, of property? That every one count himself a steward, and be faithful in his stewardship or agency. No man liveth to himself; living or departed, we are the Lord's." His ends are to be accomplished by

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us, to the sacrifice of all inferior ends. The power and possessions then entrusted to men, to be by them employed, each according to his ability, are various. And the proper use of them requires their entire consecration to God. They are

The supreme affection of the heart. There appears perhaps something incongruous in speaking of love to God as a matter of obligation. And yet it is the sum of all duty. It is the life of all other duties; without which God can accept of nothing. It is a very prevalent feeling with men, however, that there is nothing of any great moment in that summary of the law, "Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God with all thy heart." Yet this is the first requirement of creatures whom he has endowed with faculties to apprehend and love him. This, so far from being secondary to any other duty, is paramount to all.

He claims the entire control of our wills. This is not to annihilate our wills; but to bring his outward law to supersede all_inward impulses. The will cannot act independently of motive. The Law of God, as expressing his will, is one motive; the self-originating desires and purposes are another. To choose between these two, includes the sum of human responsibility, whether the choice is in view of the two objects in their most general form, or of any particular duty drawing in one direction, and inclination drawing in another direction. The claim of our Creator is, that we choose his law to control us in all things. He has the same claim to secure that result from his rational creatures, as man has to secure from a tree the peculiar fruit which it is capable of producing.

He claims our supreme confidence in him as our Saviour. This is a point not generally regarded in the light of an obligation. Every man who has heard the gospel with any degree of confidence in its being a message from God, believes that he has a right to look to God as a Saviour, if he is disposed to do so. But it is not common for men to feel the pressure of an obligation upon them to believe in Christ with supreme and grateful confidence. Yet this is his claim; and it is only another form of requiring supreme love, in view of this new aspect of divine character.

He claims the supreme efforts of men to advance his kingdom, and promote his glory on earth; each according to his capacity and opportunity. As the prayer is to be daily on our lips and in our hearts, "thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as in heaven; thy name be hallowed," so are we to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord." The spirit of loyalty must put itself forth in destroying the kingdom of Satan, by diffusing the light of heavenly truth, by sustaining and extending the institutions of religion, in every way in our power.

This is the required result of the agency and property with which God, our Creator, Redeemer, King, has entrusted us; this is the return which he expects from us.

We are then prepared to contemplate

II. MAN'S FRAUDULENT APPROPRIATION TO HIMSELF OF GOD'S

TREASURES.

It is seen

1. In his theory of morals.-The importance of the doctrine of ownership is almost universally conceded. A large portion of the duties of social life refer to accurate distinctions on this subject. Human laws are constructed with the utmost care and wisdom, to fix the rights of ownership and determine precisely the limits of each man's property. If laws are wrong on this point, they trouble the order of society; if men's notions are wrong, or their sentiments lax on this subject, everything is out of order with them in their business transactions. Lax doctrines in regard to property are among the most dangerous influences in society. They sap its very foundations. If this subject had not been well understood by the framers of our constitution and laws, society, as it is in England and America, could not have existed. And as the heavens are higher than the earth, so is the importance of correct views of God's ownership on earth, above correct notions of property among men. And as it is found in human affairs that the most dreadful form of fraud and robbery is that which is founded on principle, and so carries public sentiment and the individual conscience with it, so is it in regard to the common notions men have of morality, virtue, honor and goodness. The true doctrine of God's supreme ownership is almost banished from human belief. High-minded, honorable men, that would die rather than betray a trust reposed in them, or fraudulently appropriate that which belongs to another, or to fail to meet the righteous claims of another, have no scruple in consulting their own feelings about the use of their time, property and talents, without the least reference to God. In a word, they have practically adopted the principle that God has no right to our affections, our service, our influence. It may be prudent to give such attention to religion as shall seem to be necessary for our own future welfare; but that is all the importance there is in it, in their estimation. The idea of a day of judgment, when they will be tried by a standard more rigid than what they esteem the fanatical requirements of the pulpit, is to them preposterous. It will never be required of them, they think, to have been as zealous in the cause of Christ as Paul; as fervent in love to him as John; as laborious and self-denying as the early martyrs. They have claims on God, very great; but he has none, or almost none, on them. This is the condition to which a fraudulent race has come. But are these notions true and just? Is it that God has given up all claim to us, our love and our service? If so, we should show the quit-claim, and thus answer all demands and accusations. I ask for it, where is it written; who ever heard it uttered? Produce your witnesses. Does it run thus: "I Jehovah, the maker of men, their unwearied benefactor, in whom they live and move, and have

their being, I do hereby annul, abolish and forever abandon all title, right, claim and demand to the supreme and fervent love of my intelligent creatures. They need not show me anything more than a decent respect; they need not depend particularly on my son for their salvation; nor labor very earnestly to spread his kingdom in the world. They shall not be required to pray very fervently for the outpouring of my Spirit and the coming of my kingdom. I do not require them to be much concerned about any other laws than those which preserve the order of civil society. I promise to defend their rights of property with all the power of my throne; and I will require of them to be very scrupulous, and exact, and honorable, about the rights of property between man and man; but my own rights I utterly and forever abandon, and I will never exact of them any regard to these rights. They may live so far as if there were no God, and no such thing as obligation to him; and if they only act honorably in all their transactions with men, I promise to welcome them to heaven?" One would be led to think, to see how sober-minded men live in regard to their Maker and Saviour, that they had seen or heard such a proclamation. But, if they have not, whence do they obtain those lax notions, so prevalent on this subject? Where do we find the popular notions about the rights of property? The ablest writers trace them to these four sources-instinctive sentiment-the history of civilization-the nature of property-the scriptures. But every one of these witnesses speaks, just as distinctly, some of them with abundantly more fulness in favor of God's right, than in favor of man's. Of the scriptures it would be almost superfluous to speak. They explain and defend man's rights; but with what majesty, solemnity and authority, do they assert that "all things, are of him and to him, who is over all, God blessed forevermore!" Refer we to the nature of the case. You go back to search for man's right of property; and you must at last come to God. Human law must rest for its foundation on natural religion, and on the law of Moses, which is the law of God. He conferred all the title man has to anything. Then his ownership is at last the foundation of all other ownership.

The claims of Jesus, the Lord of Redemption, are yet scarcely known in this world; much less admitted into its code of morals. The guilt of not believing on him is very rarely acknowledged. The robbery of not being a true and zealous disciple and servant of Christ is not believed very generally to be such. And yet men. quite extensively hope that Christ will somehow save them at last. But they must all one day understand, that to reject Christ as Lord, is to reject him as Saviour. Conscience must be brought to the same sensitiveness in regard to God's rights, as man's. We shall then have no more worldly, Christless morality and self-complacent, applauded selfishness. But, if the theory of the world is bad,

2. Its practice is still worse.-Under this charge we must, in justice, make a division. There is a class who are guilty of robbing God, without any qualification or cessation. Another class are guilty to some extent. The first includes those who have some belief in God's existence as our Creator and benefactor. They cannot believe that he created them for no purpose. And they know that it is not that to which they are devoting their lives. Now there are three several ways of violating the rights of property-theft, violence, fraud. An agent generally does it by the first method; which is, secretly appropriating to his own use that which has been entrusted to him for the benefit of his employer. This is precisely what is going on continually in the world toward God. Every nine men out of every ten you meet, are probably stealing from God everything he has put within their power. Let us look at the inventory. He gave them hearts for fervent religious affections; devout communings with him, fervent aspirings after him; hearts capable of overflowing with delight and gratitude, especially at the exhibition of his mercy in Christ. But the probability is, that this proportion of the persons who pass you in the street, have never once seriously purposed to give their Creator and Saviour the full tribute of their heart's warmest affections. He demands the employment of their time for cultivating that holiness which chiefly pleases and honors him. But time is laid out, as if man were the original and sole owner and proprietor of it. He demands the consecration of all our social influence to promote his kingdom in the world. If that influence consists in wealth, station, talent, or any other instrument of power, what we have we hold as stewards. And whoever is appropriating them to selfish ends, or at best only to promote the temporal welfare of man, is robbing his employer; and if he denies that he is, he makes the case only the more hopeless.

trust.

Our position amid religious privileges, constitutes a part of our "To whom much is given, of him shall much be required." Every human being in this and other lands where the Gospel shines freely, is responsible for his opportunities. He has the word of God, the Lord's day, the preaching of the Gospel, the prayers of the children of God, precious time and precious opportunities. They are given him that he may become a truly penitent believer in Christ; that he may consecrate himself unreservedly to Christ, and faithfully serve him. It is not difficult, then, to believe that the King is robbed of his revenue most extensively in this community. Yes, even of those who know that they must at last come to Christ, to put their whole reliance on him, almost all are making the calculation to defer submitting to his dominion to a period when it can be of no service to him in this world, but when they think they shall want his aid in the next. This is the calculation of the warm-hearted youth, of the graver man, and of the advancing in old age. This is robbing God. The particular