wound we receive, and all the complaints and decays of old age are of this nature. Thefe are univerfal: there is no one who does not drink of this cup, in a degree which is quite uncomfortable. Millions gróan under thefe af

ufe to the happiness of man? Of the remaining parts of the earth, much is comparatively barren, and it is with much toil, that a little increase is obtained. The hufbandman alfo, in many places, finds his labors increafed by the ftones of the field, and other in-flictions for many years, without cumbrances in the way of culti- a reasonable expectation that they vation. All thefe things are the fhall ever find relief, fo long as curfe that has fallen upon the they remain in the body. These earth-the thorns and thiftles it are fore evils, are of no direct use produces. The face of nature is to our happiness, and we cannot overfpread with them, and the regard them as any thing but earth does not yield its ftrength. thorns and punishments. -I am fenfible that fome, who would reprefent every thing as defigned for our prefent happiness, have faid, that the extremities of the feafons, ftorms, deferts and the other evils mentioned, are ne ceffary to health and fruitfulnefs, But this wants evidence. Gentle winds purify the air, as well as ftorins and tornadoes. Countries lefs liable to the extremities of heat and cold, are as productive, as those which endure them. Regions without craggy and inacceffible mountains, and barren deferts, are as healthy as thofe which have them. The comparative barrennefs of most parts of the earth, and the obftacles to cultivation, are said to have a tendency to happiness, as a check upon immorality. But if mankind were not finners, no fuch checks would be needed. There is in nature no need of any of thefe evils. Their real ufe feems only to be, to anfwer the purpose of thorns and thiftles to produce the sweat of the face, and cause men to eat of the fruit of the ground in forrow, all the days of their lives.

Another clafs of evils are the troubles, difappointments, and anguish of heart, which we fuffer in our minds, from various causes. All the fhame, grief, anxiety, fear, and terror which we endure, are of this kind. Could we look through the world and unlock every human heart, we should doubtlefs find that there is a very great fum total of this kind of forrow. No individual efcapes it and many are quite overborne. There is no fmall number who die of a broken heart. "The spirit of a man will fuftain his infirmity; but a wounded fpirit who can bear."

The evils which grow out of fociety, in its prefent ftate, are another dreadful clafs of thorns and thiftles, which introduce wretchednefs

mankind.

among How much mifery is caused by the contentions which take place in families? Their peace is interrupted or deftroyed, and they embitter each other's lives. What vexations are occafioned by feuds among neighbors, by tur mults in countries, and wars among contending nations? Scarce Among the number of these an individual efcapes thefe mifethorns and thistles may be alfo reck-ries, however peaceable and beneoned, all the fickneffes, infirmities ficent he may be himfelf. The and bodily pains, to which men hiftories of nations prefent us with are liable in this world. Every but a small part of the calamities

which arife from contentions among men; few of a private nature are recorded, and very little in detail, of those which are more public; yet hiftory in general, is little more than a record of the calamities produced by contentions in fociety.

And finally, death follows the train of these calamities, and clofes the scene in a moft awful manner. What countlefs myriads die! Thus the world is overfpread with miferies. They produce an incalculable fum of woe--are thorns and thistles in very deed.

We fhall now proceed to ob. ferve, that these evils are a teftimony, inftamped on the very face of nature, that there is a controverfy between God and man.

And could not God have made all countries habitable, the feafons always temperate, with an agreeable variety, the whole earth fruitful as Eden,-kept off ficknefs, forrow, feuds and calamities, and given eternal youth and immortal activity to man? No doubt he could. This seems to have been, at leaft in all things neceffary to human happiness, the original ftate of the world.

The inftances we have of comfort in this world, serve to make a ftronger impreffion on our minds, of the evils which are the confequences of the fall of man. They give us an opportunity to com. pare our innumerable calamities, with the bleffings, which we might have had, if there had been no It has been already noticed, fin, nor curfe. And they demonthat thefe evils were not neceffary ftrate, that there is in the nature to nature, and did not take place of things, no impoffibility to our in the ftate in which it was orig- enjoying all these comforts for inally created. The first address ever, without any intermiffion, of God to fallen man, teaches us unlef by an agreeable variety. how they come, and that they are This idea is confirmed by the tokens of God's difpleafure. But confideration, that fuch bleffednefs that it may be fufficiently plain was really given in the first state to all, that they are not evils ne- of the world. And there is no ceffary to nature, let a few facts doubt but an infinitely good God be noticed. There are inftances would have continued it, in cafe in which the earth produces fpon- there had been no apoftacy. Such taneously, without caltivation, a flate as this, at leaft, fo far as more or lefs of every thing which it refpects perfect happiness, withwe need. If I do not miftake, out any alloy of evil, will be givwheat is produced, in fmall quan- en to the righteous in the future tities, in Siberia, without fowing world. Therefore, when God or cultivation. There are inftan- has brought fo many evils into ces in all countries, of great fer- this world, they must certainly be tility in one place, compared with confidered as evident tokens of another. There are climates where his difpleafare. And this is put the feafons are temperate, and beyond all controverfy by the there are times in all countries, things faid to Adam, when God when the temperature is agreeacalled him to an account for eatble. There are people, who are in ing the forbidden fruit. And health and pleafure;-inflances of thefe evils can be eafily accountharmony and love in fociety, a fea-ed for on thefa principles alone. fon of youth and fprightlinefs,

When therefore, we feel an ex

and countries which are habitable. tremity in the feasons,-fee any

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Further When we fee divine providence addreffing every individual, by fo many meffengers, and teaching the fame leffon, have we not reafon to conclude that it is an important leffon for us? It furely is, The word of God explains its importance, acquaints us that there is a way of escape provided from the curfe of the law, and fhows the way. The language therefore of all these admonitions to us, who have the gofpel, is this; "Agree with thine adverfary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him.". They call upon us to close the controverfy, by fubmiffion, repentance, and faith in Chrift. They are fent to fummon us to attend to the gofpel. They are merciful difpenfations, to perfuade us to improve our day of probation. They are prophets, which in the name of God, denounce our final deftruction, unlefs we make our peace with him. Every barren heath has a use as great, and is it not as obvious, as the ufe of the moft fertile plain ?

barren heath, poifonous reptiles cy, and never leave us until death. -inundations--carthquakes--tornadoes or craggy mountains, we fhould always confider them as the meffengers of God, fent to admonish us, that he views us as finners. They can be confidered justly in no other light. Whatever other ends they may poffibly anfwer, unknown to us, they have now no other apparent ufe as they refpect us. So alfo every pain of body, or anxiety of mind we feel, or know to be in others,—all the innumerable difeafes, wounds and infirmities which are in the world, -every old man we meet with, under the decays of age,-every disappointment and inquietude, fhould remind us, that God has a controverfy with the world. These are all preachers, fent to announce it to us. All call upon us, especially upon us who have the gofpel, to make our peace with God.-In the fame manner, all the feuds, contentions and wars which take place in the world, and all the evils which attend them, are not only inftances of human depravity, but teftimonies of divine displeasure. They admonish us, that God is offended, and gives us up to be our own tormentors. And every funeral we attend, is an emphatical lecture on the fame fubject. What a multitue of preachers have we on this point! We meet them in all places-Never can we rid ourselves of them. All fpeak the fame thing, and addrefs us continually, whether we will hear, or whether we will forbear. Tho' we ftop our ears, or fhut our eyes, they reach our nerves, and fpeaked at heart.-And when we rein every pain, in every fear, and flect that mankind pay fo little in every inquietude. It is in vain attention to this world of preachto change our country, they ers, which apply to all our feel- * would follow us to the ends of ings, as well as to our ears,— the earth. They begin in infan- when we find that the natural

Again: Since God, in addition to his written word, fends all thefe meffengers, muft it not fuggeft to us, that he thinks we have real need of them? He does not fuppofe that we are fo eafy to be convinced of our depravity, of our oppofition to God, of his holy displeasure against us, and of the importance of our reconciliation to him, that lefs means will wake our attention, and perfuade us to repent and believe on Chrift. He confiders us entirely deprav

fools U

and direct oppofition of heart and life to every thing good, fo far as restraints are taken of. Thus, we find our thoughts vain, idle, impure and wicked; not at all conformed to the holy law of God. Our words and actions are equally perverfe, and fhow that the love of God is not in our hearts. How

gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.-The carnal mind is enmity against God. And concerning Jefus Chrift as our Saviour, it is faid, We hid as it were, our faces from him; he was defpifed, and we efteemed him not. We will not have this man ta reign over us.-0 Jerufalem, Je-prone are we to words and acts rufalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together and would not.-re will not come to me, that ye might have life.

ye

Such are the plain declarations of the oracles of God; he that runneth may read and understand. The obvious fenfe of thefe texts is, that man by nature, has no moral goodness-his heart is corrupt, and wholly eftranged from God and duty. He has an enmity of heart against God's character: he is not merely unfriendly, but harbors hatred-there is a pofitive force of the heart againft Him. Men, when divine reftraints are taken off, are ftout hearted: they make their brow as brafs, and their neck as an iron finew. Nor are they better pleafed with God's way of falvation, than with his character. They defpife, reject, and hate a holy Saviour; and, to fuch a degree, that they will never come to him, except the Father draw them with the eords of divine love and irrefiftible grace.

or

This character, which the bible gives of the natural man, carnal mind, is perfectly confiftent with what we know, of the heart and practice of mankind. Let us come to experience, and plain matter of fact; for I mean not to enter into a critical and metaphyfical difquifition of this fubject. If we confult the natural tempers and difpofitions of men, we fhall find the want of holinefs;

of anger, wrath, hatred, envy, variance, ftrife and deceit? How are our hearts and lives devoted to the honors, pleasures, and riches of this world, to the neglect of God and religion; and indeed, to all righteous laws, human and divine? This is not the cafe of a few only, who are fupereminent in wickednefs, but is the natural state of every fon and daughter of Adam. The first actings of infancy fhow this bitter root; and as we grow into a capacity of acting, we invariably, without one exception, produce the poisonous fruits of disobedience. The whole taste and relish of the natural man, are opposed to the ways of holi nefs: He fees no beauty in, and feels no love to the divine character. Hence, men who can find no time to read their bibles, to pray in their families, or attend on public worship, can find time enoughto go into profane company, to bargain, fpeculate and intrigue for riches and honors. Tho' praying, preaching, and godly, converfation lull them to fleep; they can spend days and nights in vain converfation, trifling amufements, rioting and drunkennefs. Thus, the fruit fhows the nature of the tree a man's life is a true index of his heart, whether under reftraints, or not. In the one cafe, he plays the hypocrite, in the other, he boldly acts out the heart. The natural man, at all times, and in every fhape, is op