THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. 



prepared for them that love him.&quot; And if re 

 novated men shall experience such superior en- 

 o) mcnts in the eternal world, there can be no 

 doubt that all those intelligences, in every region, 

 who have retained their primitive integrity, are 

 at this moment in the possession of similar 

 transporting enjoyments. It must, therefore, 

 have an additional tendency to elevate our affec 

 tions to the Supreme Intelligence, when we 

 view Him not only communicating happiness to 

 the Various tribes of beings which people our 

 globe, but also distributing streams of felicity in 

 boundless profusion, among the inhabitants of 

 unnumbered worlds 



1 shall now conclude my illustrations of this 

 topic, by exhibiting a few instances of the wis 

 dom and goodness of God as delineated in the 

 Sacred Scriptures. 



&quot; The Lord is good to all, and his tender mer 

 cies are over all his works He stretched forth 

 the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth, 

 and foimeth the spirit of man within him. He 

 planted the ear, and formed the eye ; and he 

 breathed into our nostrils the breath of life. In 

 his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the 

 breath of all mankind. &quot;With him is wisdom and 

 strength, and his understanding is infinite. He 

 is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. 

 He hath established the world by his wisdom, 

 and stretched out the heavens by his understand 

 ing. O the depth of the riches both of the wis 

 dom and the knowledge of God! how unsearcha 

 ble are his operations, and his ways past finding 

 out ! He causeth the vapours to ascend from 

 the ends of the earth ; he bindeth up the wa 

 ters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not 

 rent under them. He hath compassed the wa 

 ters with hounds, until the clay and night come 

 to an end. He visiteth the earth and water- 

 eth it , he greatly enricheth it with rivers ; he 

 prepareth corn for its inhabitants ; he water- 

 eth the ridges thereof abundantly ; he settleth 

 the furrows thereof; he maketh it soft with 

 showers ; he blesseth the springing thereof; he 

 crowneth the year with his goodness, and his 

 paths drop fatness. The pastures are clothed 

 with flocks ; the valleys are covered over with 

 corn, and the little hills are encircled with joy.* 



&quot; He sendeth the springs into the valleys 

 which run among the hills ; they give drink to 

 every beast of the field. Beside these springs 

 the fowls of heaven have their habitation, which 

 sing among the branches. He causeth the grass 

 *o grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of 

 man ; and wine that maketh glad the heart of 

 man, and oil that maketh his face to shine, and 

 bread that strengtheneth his heart. He planted 

 the tall trees and the cedars of Lebanon, where 



* In this, and several other quotations from the 

 Scriptures, the literal rendering from the Hebrew is 

 substituted in place of the common translation, and 

 the supplements arc frequently omitted. 



the birds make their nests, and the storks ihcir 

 dwellings. The high hills are a refuge for the 

 wild goats, and the rocks for the conies. He 

 appointed the moon for seasons, and the sun to 

 enlighten the world ; he makes darkness a cur 

 tain for the night, till the sun arise, when man 

 goeth forth to his work and to his labour till the 

 evening. How manifold are thy works, O Lord i 

 In wisdom hast ihou made them all ; the earth is 

 full of thy riches ; so is the great arid wide sea, 

 wherein are things creeping innumerable, both 

 small and great beasts. These all wait upon thee, 

 that thou mayest give them their meat in due 

 season. Thou givest them they gather ; thou 

 openest thine hand they are filled with good. 

 Thou hidest thy face they are troubled ; thou 

 sendest forth thy spirit they are created ; and 

 thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory 

 of the Lord shall endure for ever ; Jehovah shall 

 rejoice in all his works. He is Lord of heaven 

 and earth ; he giveth to all, life, and breath, and 

 all things ; he hath made of one blood all nations 

 of men, to dwell on all the face of the earth ; and 

 hath determined the times before appointed, and 

 the bounds of their habitation. For in him we 

 live, and move, and have our being. I will sing 

 unto Jehovah as long as I live ; I will sing prai 

 ses to my God, while I have my being ; I will 

 utter abundantly the memory of his great good 

 ness, and speak of all his wondrous works.&quot; 



The inspired writers rise tostill higher strains 

 when they celebrate the Divine Goodness in re 

 ference to our eternal salvation. 



&quot; Praise ye Jehovah, for Jehovah is good ; he 

 remembered us in our low estate; for his mercy 

 endureth for ever. I will praise thee, O Lord, 

 my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify thy 

 name for evermore ; for great is thy mercy toward 

 me, and thou hast delivered my soul from the 

 lowest hell. God so loved the world, that he 

 gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever be- 

 lieveth on him should not perish, but have ever 

 lasting life. He sent an angel frrn the celestial 

 glory to announce his birth : and a multitude of 

 the heavenly host to proclaim, Glory lo God in 

 the highest, peace on earth, arid good will to 

 men. He spared not his own Son, but delivered 

 him up for us all and shall he not with him also 

 freely give us all things ? Blessed be the God 

 and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath 

 blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly 

 things in Christ ; in whom we have redemption 

 through h.s blood, the forgiveness of sins, ac 

 cording to the riches of his grace. Bless the 

 Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless 

 his holy name ; whoforgiveth all thine iniquities, 

 who healeth all thy diseases ; who redeemeth thy 

 life from destruction, and crowneth thee with lov 

 ing kindness and tender mercies. As the heaven 

 is high above the earth, so great is his mercy 

 toward them that fear him. The mercy of Je 

 hovah is from everlasting to everlasting, upon 



