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the wild and ravenous beasts have ceased from the land, the dragon and the crooked serpent;behold how creation is redeemed by the redemption of the church, how the forest timber bears the burden, and the mine yields the implements of the nation's defence;-behold how every thing rejoiceth because of that most enlightened and noble constitution of the church, which our fathers set up. It was not in religious parties, nor in religious meetings at taverns, nor in class meetings, nor such like accomplishments of these latter days, that they went about their work of glorifying God; but in the palace, and in the court, and in the high parliament, and, above all, in the pulpit, in the congregation of the people, and in the camp, and in the tented field. And the ministers of the Gospel did not separate a few from the rest of his flock or parish, to coax and cozen them into self-esteem and uncharitableness; but he went about into every house, instructing every family, and examining the people, and enlightening them: and had any man better gifts or larger knowledge than his neighbours, then he was advanced to be an elder of the congregation; and was any one of a good understanding in affairs, and able to take the charge of God's household goods, then he was made a deacon of the congregation; and another, who had skill in learning, and able to teach the youth, was appointed schoolmaster of the youth; and another was a catechist, and another was a reader, and every father of a family was a sponsor for his family; and so the work went on like a work of God, reclaiming and reforming the whole state of the people. And forthwith the land began to yield its increase; the

mountains were covered with sheep, and the little hills with herds, and the valleys with corn: the ingenuity of man teemed with inventions, and the arts grew up spontaneous. And behold the blessed fruits of the whole in the well-watered garden of this northern island, which you may be convinced of by comparing it with papal Italy, or Spain, or France, or any other enthralled dominion of the Apostasy. And for their men of war, they are as stubble to our bow; they dare not, no one of the nations dare sustain our onset and charge of battle -the very cheer of our seamen is like the lion's roar in their ear, and turns their hearts to coldness: and our soldiers, with a naked sword in their naked hand, coated with their woollen clothes, can put to rout their men harnessed in burnished steel. Look, I say, on this island, and behold the redeeming power of a redeemed church, in the redeemed creatures, and their obedient service to their kindly masters. Behold every plant of the field ministering to us either food, or clothing, or medicine. Oh! behold how kindly the fruits of the earth have become, how generous and cheerful;-behold how beautiful they are; how large juicy, and productive, when recovered from their natural wildness; how they rejoice and sing for joy in the midst of us, because God hath made them glad. Which all cometh of man's resuming his lordship over the creation, and redeeming it from the power of the enemy, according as God resumeth his lordship over him, and the law of the Spirit of life maketh him free from the law of sin and death. Having obtained the victory through the operation of the Holy Ghost over the law of sin and death which is in his members, he

cannot help communicating that victory to all the creatures which surround him. The fruits of the Spirit are produced in the understanding, which judgeth by the sense; they are produced also in the sense; and how shall they terminate there, and not extend to the creatures with which the sense holdeth continual communion? The gentleness which the Spirit worketh will extend itself to the creatures, towards whom it will be humanity and mercy the decency and order which the Spirit delighteth in, will shew itself towards the creatures in all good husbandry and beautiful assortments: the temperance which the Spirit worketh in every sense will place bounds to our enjoyment, and prevent the creatures from being degraded and misused by excess, and will work economy in all quarters; the joy of heart and cheerful hospitality which the Spirit worketh, will prevent all niggardly hoardings of the creature, and avaricious covetings of it; and, in one word, every talent which God hath given unto man for redressing, redeeming, and ruling over, and blessing the inferior creatures, having yet to be called into account by God, who suffers no hiding of it, but requireth it to be profitably employed, will put forth its activity and power under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to accomplish that good ministry unto all things for which it was originally given, and hath since been redeemed. And the eye is sanctified to the perception of heavenly beauty, before whose purified vision the concealed heaven on earth is unveiled, and all things make mention to it of God. God, who by faith is discovered, is by the holy eye recognized in all things: and it discourseth largely

over the creatures concerning the perfection of God, and the workmanship of God the Creator of all things; yea, and the tokens of Christ the Redeemer of all things are dimly perceived beneath the veils of sense; and I may say that the sense of sight, that best interpreter of the visible, is made subservient to the interpreting Spirit of God. And the ear is hallowed to hear the sound of the Creator and the Redeemer's praise, in all sounds which are heard on the surface of the world; the songs of birds, and the lowing of the cattle; the roarings of the young lions, which seek their meat from God; all storms and tempests, and raging winds, whose violence is restrained of God, do speak into the ear of the spiritual man the glory of God. The rainbow in the heavens telleth of his covenant of peace, and the raging of the sea declareth His power, who saith, "Hitherto shall ye come, and here shall your proud waves be stayed." Every thing is sanctified, every creature of God is made good by the sanctification of the holy word, and the dedication of devout prayer. War itself is made holy, and the man of war is converted into a minister of the holy purposes of God. The whole machinery of Divine providence is explained; the mystery of the present dispensation is unfolded; and with the liberty of the Holy Spirit, which expresseth itself in the Psalms and the Prophets, the man of divine wisdom is enabled to expatiate over all the elements and over all the creatures, and to sing, as it is written in the civ th Psalm, and in many other Psalms, of whose comfortable use the spiritual church availeth herself but little in this her shrivelled dotage, "The glory of the Lord shall endure for

ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord."

III. I now come to the third department of man's business and occupation under the sun, which he holdeth with his fellow-men, in their various relations of kindred, neighbours, and fellow-creatures; and in their various stations with respect to himself, of inferiors, superiors, and equals; into which I would now inquire, with the view of shewing how, by our honest and upright travail therein, and the righteous use of the talents which God hath given to us for the occupation thereof, we do concilate God's favour towards us, and prepare a soil for receiving the seed of the word, when it may please the Husbandman to sow it, or, if it be already sown, do feed the soil and keep it in good heart and quality.

1. The first and fundamental relation of man to man, is the domestic, in its various degrees of husband and wife, parent and child, brother and sister, outward to every ramification; the wider the better; the more minute, the more pious and honourable. Upon the right honest fulfilment and occupation of which more dependeth in the way of producing a good soil for the word of God, than upon all the things which have yet been mentioned. They talk like fools, who would postpone family bonds to friendly and sentimental attachments; and they talk like emissaries of Satan, who would undervalue pa

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