world, in which the good man piously acquiefces, and which the bad man turns into arguments against Providence.-Others again may examine, what we are told, angels defire to look into, the fecrets of God's revelations to mankind-his early communications to the firft race of men-the various peculiarities of the Jewish difpenfationand the ftill greater wonders of the Gospel.While fome may examine the works of creation, and trace the amazing grandeur, contrivance, and beauty of every part, from the leaft to the greatest-from the reptile of the earth to the orb of the fun.-But in whatever way these glorified fpirits purfue their various enquiries, they turn them all in the end into themes of gratitude and praise to the great Creator. Let us now examine a few of fuch reflections, as arife, from the short span of human knowledge in this world, and its extenfive range in the next. The most useful of them perhaps are these. In the first place, we exalt our ideas of a future ftate. What can be conceived more grand, or more agreeable to the nature of the human foul, than to have all those corporeal and earthly ob 2 ftacles ftacles removed, which are, in part, the fources of its ignorance to have all its faculties enlarged at liberty to act freely-and to stray among all those wonderful parts of knowledge, which will most probably be opened in a future world. To this may be added, the probability of our happy intercourse with the beatified fpirits of all ages, and all nations; communicating mutually the fruits of our several purfuits-and enjoying all that happinefs, of which rational refearches and philofophic eafe give us but a faint idea in this world. The expreffion of feeing through a glass darkly, but then face to face, is full of that grand obscurity, which is in the highest degree fublime; and raises of course the most exalted conceptions of our intercourse with the Divine Being in a future state*. Secondly, How great To mingle interefts, converse, amities, to rife in science, as in blifs, Initiate in the secrets of the skies! To read creation; read its mighty plan The Secondly, we ought to think modeftly of our earthly knowledge. As we have it from fuch good authority, that we know only in part, we fhould be fo far from fuppofing that we know every thing, that we cannot fuppofe we thoroughly know any thing.-And if, in the more trivial · branches of human fcience, we can know only in part, in matters of the higheft importance, we fhould ftill be more humble. In the redemption of the world by Chrift, we must conceive that fuch parts of it as appertain to God, muft needs be above our comprehenfion. Laftly, as human knowledge is fo confined, it is not really of that great confequence which we are apt to make, it. As the intellects and knowledge of children born into this world, are of the fame fize; fo it may, perhaps, be in the nextThere may be little or no difference between the knowledge of the philofopher and of the peafant. The The plan and execution to collate! To fee, before each glance of piercing thought, No mystery! YOUNG, NIGHT 6. The great point therefore fhould be to value religion more than knowledge. As our knowledge here is fo very imperfect, and as religion leads to the full enlargement of it, a real thirst after knowledge will incline us to cultivate chiefly what in the end will tend moft to the improvement of it. XXXV. 2 COR. iv. 4. THE GOD OF THIS WORLD HATH BLINDED THÊ EYES OF THEM THAT BELIEVE NOT. NA ATURE never produced an atheist. God Almighty left the heathen nations without excuse for atheism, in giving them rain and fruitful feasons, from which they might, at least, have collected his being and government. And, in fact, we find that with whatever falfehoods the old heathen creeds were filled, there was very little atheifm in any of them. By analogy we reason, that when God gave man the revelation of the Gofpel, he afforded every candid mind fufficient evidence of its truth. And, indeed, we find, that every candid mind, every fair examiner, both when it was first preached, and |