is a doctrine taught through the whole Scriptures; but to prove the point, it is enough to fay, that it conftituted one branch of our Lord's fermon on the mount, an authority the moft refpectable and decifive, to which every good man muft implicitly bow: "Judge not, that ye be not judged for with what judgment ye judge, ye fhall be judged, and with what measure ye meet, it fhall be measured to you again." Matt. vii. 1, 2. The full and complete display of this truth will be in the last great day, when he, who knows the fecrets of all hearts, will, with ftrict impartiality, render to every man according to his works. In looking to that day, the injured and perfecuted have frequently found fupport and comfort; and to that day they have with confidence appealed from the defamations and the decifions of wicked men. But God does not always delay the execution of his justice to that period. He has in fome cafes made the day of retribution immediately fucceed the day of injuftice and oppreffion; and the equity of Divine Providence has therein appeared confpicuous. We might illuftrate and confirm this remark from the page of profane hiftory, and alfo from occurrences which daily come under our own obfervation, in relation to nations, churches, families, and individuals; but the preference fhall be given to two or three inftances recorded in the word of God. The first remarkable inftance of the equity of Divine Providence which we shall mention, is that of Adoni-bezek, one of the kings of the Canaanites, who, under the fpecious title of a conqueror, committed unnumbered depredations upon fociety. Having made seventy kings prisoners, he was not content with merely exulting over their misfortunes-he added thereto meannefs and cruelty, by placing them in the most degrading fituation, and cutting off their thumbs and great toes. Base wretch! as thou haft done to others, fo fhall it be done to thee, and thine own mouth fhall condemn thy want of humanity and juftice. "And Adonibezek faid, threefcore and ten kings, having their thumbs and great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table; as I have done, fo hath God requited me." Judges, i. 7. Another inftance of the equity of Divine Providence is given in the awful requital of the blood of Naboth upon the house of Ahab. The blood of this honeft Ifraelite (who fell a facrifice to the most barefaced perjury and injuftice) is fcarcely chilled, and Ahab has but just taken poffeffion of this illgotten inheritance, when a meffage comes, by the means of Elijah, from the Judge of the whole earth : earth: "Thus, faith the Lord, haft thou killed, and also taken poffeffion; in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, fhall dogs lick thy blood. And of Jezebel alfo fpake the Lord, faying, the dogs fhall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel." 1 Kings, xxi. 19. 23. How faithfully, how exactly these predictions were fulfilled, may be seen by the following expreffions: "And the dogs licked up his blood, and they washed his armour, according to the word of the Lord." Kings, xxii. 38. “And he said, this is the word of the Lord, which he fpake by Elijah the Tifhbite, faying, in the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the fleth of Jezebel." 2 Kings, ix. 36. The only remaining inftance of the equity of Divine Providence which will be now mentioned, is a very ftriking one indeed, because it took place in the experience of the man after God's own heart. Yes, the truth of this doctrine is exemplified in the hiftory of good men; for God will not pafs by fin unnoticed, even in them. David finned in a moft heinous manner in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba; nor does the Scripture either conceal or palliate any part of the guilt. The Lord is not content with expofing and feverely reproving his fin, but also punishes him for it, and that punishment is proportioned to the nature and extent of his offence. This is the judgment which God pronounced upon him: "Now, therefore, the fword fhall never depart from thine house, because thou haft despised me, and haft taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus faith the Lord, behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own houfe, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he fhall lie with thy wives in the fight of the fun." 2 Sam. xii. 10, 11. In this fhort, hafty fketch of the equity of Divine Providence, it is made evident, that "the Lord God of recompences fhall furely requite." Jer. li. 56. Let therefore all profeffors of religion remember and affure themfelves, that if they blaft the reputation or fair fame of their neighbour, that God will permit the breath of flander to defame their own; and that if they fow the feeds of divifion in other families or churches, God will requite them, by fuffering the torch of difcord to be lighted up in their's, and thus fhall be fulfilled that declaration of Scripture," His mifchief fhall return upon his own head.” Pfa. vii. 16. MISTAKES IN RELIGION DETECTED. WE E form very improper notions of a religious life, if we fuppofe it is a life of quietnefs and peace. Man is no fooner changed from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, than he becomes acquainted with troubles, of which he had formerly no conception. He has to "wreftle with principalities and powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, and with spiritual wickedness in high places." He commences a warfare with all the enemies of God, from which he is not allowed a moment's release, till death call him from the field. He enjoys, and can promife himfelf no peace, till he go where the wicked ceafe from troubling, and the weary are at reft. But many of his troubles and cares are of his own creating. Little experienced in religion, he fets out in the expectation of the fame compofure, and confidence of heart, that he enjoyed in the days of his firft love, when the candle of the Lord fhone bright upon Iris tabernacle. After a little more experience, he is convinced, that he had taken by far too limited a view of practical religion. He walks in darkness, and has no light. Thus bewildered, he frequently concludes, that the pleasures, which he formerly enjoyed in religion, were only the fruits of a diftempered imagination; or if there was any reality in his religion, he cannot difcover the caufe, why God withholds from him thofe pleafing communications of his love, to which he was accustomed in the early part of his Chriftian life. This is the cafe with many of the people of God. They doubt of the genuinencfs of their former experiences, and of the love of God to them, because they have not the fame joys and pleafures in religion which they formerly enjoyed. To fuch perfons I beg leave to fuggeft a few confiderations, which, I truft, will not be unprofitable. When you were first brought to the knowledge of God, nuch enlargement of foul, and pleafure in religion, were neceffary to attach your hearts to God, to engage you in his fervice, and to perfuade you, that you were the objects of his love. When you are come to fome age and experience in religion, you are not to expect the tokens of the divine love in the fame number and in the fame measure that you enjoyed in your early days, or for fome time after you became favingly acquainted with him. This may be illuftrated by a plain fimilitude. A father takes pleasure in performing forming offices of kindness to all his family; but efpecially takes pleasure in careffing the younger children. Those in the family arrived to years, are not treated in the fame manner; nay, they do not expect it; but though they are not dandled and carreffed as little children, they have no reason to doubt of their parent's love; the time was when they, in the fame ftate, enjoyed the fame kindness. Thus the child is early attached to his parent, and convinced, by fuch offices of kindness, that he is the object of his father's love. As he grows up, though the parent does not exprefs his affection in the fame manner, the child has no reafon to doubt of the reality of his love. In like manner may the Chriftian judge of the gracious defigns of God. Though he does not now enjoy fo many pleafing teftimonies of divine love in the fame engaging manner as he did at firft, he is not to conclude that his former experiences were not genuine, or that God does not love him. He is not now; and he must not expect to be treated as a babe. Formerly much enlargement of foul in divine exercifes, with other difcoveries of divine love, were neceffary to beget and ftrengthen in him that filial affection and obedience, which he owes to his Saviour; and as he makes progrefs in religion, while he waits on God for grace to help him in the time of need, he must exercife and exert the grace he already enjoys. Senfible manifeftations of the divine favour, I grant, are very defirable: They ftrengthen and confirm the grace of faith; they carry away the heart in the most pleafing contemplations on the excellencies of God, and the exhauftlefs riches of redeeming love; they favour of heaven, and fill the foul with a rich anticipation of its jovs. But the Chriftian mutt live by faith, and be dis rected by the word on which faith refts, rather than by fenfible experiences. Such precious enjoyments are not long continued; they are only tranfient gleams of light, darting acrofs the Chriftian's path, fufficient to fhew him that he is upon the road, and to encourage him to hold on his way. By faith in the word, the promife, the oath, and the faithfulnefs of God, the foul may preferve confidence and hope, though darkness, thick darkness be round about*. On thefe, Chriftians, as on a fure foundation of hope, *What, Thomas, can't you trust so much And thrust its hand into my side? Where hope, you ought to truft; hoping, at the fame time, that God will, in his own gracious manner, bless you with some senfible difcoveries of his love, to enliven your faith, and quicken your defires for the enjoyments of the heavenly state. There may be a danger, perhaps, of your placing too much dependence on fenfible manifeftations; and therefore God wifely withholds them. You are not proper judges of what is ufeful and fuitable for you in this imperfect state. Even the beft enjoyments you are apt to abufe; and thefe fenfible manifeftations of divine love, which you fo much defire, you are in danger of perverting to a wrong ufe; you may truft in them, and forget that your only fupport and ftrength is the rock of ages himfelf; you may boaft of fuch attainments, and overlook the grace from which they proceed. No man was lefs in danger of this than the apostle Paul, a man who had acquired a more extenfive knowledge of God, and of himfelf, than any of his cotemporaries; yet, left he should be too much exalted by these manifeftations of the divine favour, he was vifited with a trying difpenfation, of which he gives us the following account : "Left I fhould be exalted above meafure, through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the meffenger of Satan, to buffet me, left I fhould be exalted above measure." 2 Cor. xii. 7. Befides, you ought to confider, that it is not by fenfible enjoyments, but by their effects, that you are to judge of your religion. There is no queftion of the reality of fenfible communion with God; yet with refpect to this, it is probable fome weak minds are fometimes miftaken. It is well known that the human heart is easily affected by what accords with its natural feelings, and the fublimity of an expreffion may fill the mind with awe, when the heart does not properly apprehend the important truth it contains. An affecting recital of the sufferings of Chrift may awaken the heart to fympathy, and produce in fome a flood of tears; while the mind does not fpiritually contemplate the infinite love that moved him to die, nor that depth of mifery, from which he came to redeem us. In many cafes, fome may mistake the exercise of mere natural affection for the fruits of the divine Spirit. Though, then, you are Where is thy faith, if it depends anxious |