of that happiness which we enjoy. The relation, therefore, in this respect, existing between us and the Deity, is that betweer beings who, without any claim whatever, are, at every moment, receiving the results of the exercise of every conceivable perfection, from a Being who is moved thus to conduct towards them, by nothing but His own independent goodness.

II. From these relations, existing between creatures and the Creator, there arise various rights of the Creator, and various obligations of the creature.

Every one, who will reflect upon this subject, must be convinced, that, inasmuch as these relations are entirely beyond the range of human analogies, and also manifestly beyond the grasp of finite conception, they must involve obligations, in their very nature more profound and universal, than we can adequately comprehend; and that, therefore, no conception of ours can possibly transcend their solemnity and awfulness. As, in our present state, we are so little able to understand them, or even to inquire after them, we see the need of instruction concerning them, from Him, who alone, of all beings that exist, can fathom then lepth, or measure their immensity. Let us, therefore, inquire, What are the claims which, in his revealed word, God asserts over us, and what are the obligations which, in his sight, bind us to Him?

1. By virtue of his relation to us as Creator, he asserts over us the right of unlimited possession. Inasmuch as we are his creatures, we are his in the highest and most extensive sense, in which we can conceive of the idea of posses sion. Neither we ourselves, nor any thing which we seem to possess, are our own. Even our wills are not our own, but he claims that we shall only will precisely what He wills. Our faculties, of what sort soever, are not our own He claims that, from the commencement of our existence, they be used precisely in the manner, for the purposes, and within the limits, that He shall direct. Not only does God assert this right in his word, but we find that he actually exercises it. Without regard to what we will, He does his pleasure, in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. He takes from us health, posses

sions, friends, faculties, life, and He giveth nct account of any of his matters. That is, he manifestly acts upon the principle, that He is the Sovereign and rightful Proprietor, both of ourselves, and of all that we seem to ourselves to possess.

And, thus, on the other hand, God asserts that we are all under obligations, greater and more solemn than we can possibly conceive, to render to Him that entire obedience and submission, which his essential right over us renders manifestly his due.

This right, and the correspondent obligation, have re spect to two classes of duties. The first class, is that which respects simply our relations to him, and which would be obligatory upon us, although each one of us were the only created being in the universe. The second class of duties respects our fellow-creatures. If we could suppose moral creatures to exist without a Creator, there would yet be duties which, from their constitution as moral creatures, they would owe to each other. But, inasmuch as every creature is the creature of God, He has made the duties which they owe to each other, a part of their duty to Him. That is to say, he requires us, who are his creatures, and who are under universal obligations to him, to treat our fellow-creatures, who are also his creatures, and under his protection, in such a manner as he shall direct. He is the Father of us all, and he requires that every one of his children conduct himself towards others, who are also his children, as he shall appoint. And, hence, the duties which are required of us to our fellow-creatures, are required of us under a twofold obligation. First, that arising from our relation to God, and, secondly, that arising from our relation to our fellows. And, hence, there is not a single act which we are under obligation to perform, which we are not also under obligation to perform from the principle of obedience to our Creator. Thus the obligation to act religiously, or piously, extends to the minutest action of ous lives, and no action of any sort whatever can be, in the full acceptation of the term, virtuous, that is, be entitled to the praise of God, which does not involve in its motives. the temper of filial obedience to the Deity. And still more,

as thus obligation is infinitely superior to any other that can De conceived, an action performed from the conviction of any other obligation, if this obligation be excluded, fails, in infinitely the most important respect; and must, by the whole amount of this deficiency, expose us to the condemnation of the law of God, whatever that condemnation may be.

And, once more, we are taught, in the Scriptures, that the relation in which we stand to the Deity, places us under such obligations, that, while our whole and uninterrupted service is thus due to God, we can, after it is alı performed, in no manner bring him under any obligation to us. This I suppose to be the meaning intended by our Savior, in the parable, Luke xvii, 7-10: "But which of you, having a servant, (a slave,) ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto him, by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat; and will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself and serve me, until I have eaten and drunken; and afterwards thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he hath done the things that were commanded him? I suppose not. So, likewise ye, when ye have done all the things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do." That is, the obligation of the servant is not fulfilled by doing any one thing, but only by occupying his whole time, and exerting his whole power, to its full extent, in doing whatever is commanded him. And when all this is done, such is the relation between the parties, that he has placed the Master, God, under no obligation; he has only discharged a duty; he has merely paid a debt; nor is it possible, from the nature of the relation, that he should ever do any thing more. Such, I think, every one will acknowledge, upon reflection, to be the relation existing between us and our Creator.

And, hence, we see, that a failure in duty to God, on the part of the creature, must be remediless. At every moment, he is under obligation to the full amount of his ability; and, when this whole amount of obligation is discharged he has then simply fulfilled his duty. Hence, no

act can have any retrospective effect; that is, it cannot supply the deficiencies of any other act. This would be the case, even if his moral powers were not injured by sin But, if we add this other element, and reflect, that, by sin, our moral powers are permanently injured; that is, our capacity for virtue is diminished, according to the laws of our constitution; by how much more is it evident, that, under a system of mere law, a single failure in our duty to God must be of necessity fatal! What shall we then say of a life, of which every act is, when strictly considered by confession, a moral failure?

2. God has revealed himself to us as a Being endowed with every attribute of natural and moral excellence; and, in virtue of the relation which, on this account, he sustains to us, a new form of obligation is imposed upon us.

We are evidently formed to love whatever is beautiful, and to admire whatever is great in power, or excellent in wisdom. This is too evident to need illustration. But we are so made as to love and admire still more the cause from which all these emanate. We admire the tragedies of Shakspeare, and the epic of Milton, but how much more the minds in which these works were conceived, and by which they were executed. Now, all that we see in creation, whether of beauty, or loveliness, or grandeur, is the work of the Creator. It all existed in His conceptions, before it existed in fact. Nor this alone. The powers by which we perceive, and are affected by, these exhibitions, all proceed from Him, and both the external qualities and the internal susceptibilities are upheld by his all-sustaining energy. Thus, every feeling of love or of admiration which we exercise, involves, from the constitution of our nature, the obligation to exercise these feelings, in a higher degree towards Him who is the author of all. But, as He is the author, not only of whatever is lovely or glorious that we see, but of all that we have ever seen; not only of all that we have ever seen, but of all that has ever existed; not only of all that has ever existed, but of all that ever can exist; by how much are we under obligation to love Him better than al things else that we know! and by how

much more than any individual form of excellence, with which it is possible for us ever to become acquainted.

Again, God reveals himself to us as the possessor of every moral attribute, in infinite perfection. In him are united infinitely more than we or other created beings can conceive, of justice, holiness, mercy, compassion, goodness and truth. Now we are manifestly formed to love and admire actions emanating from such attributes, as they are exhibited on earth, and specially the moral characters of those by whom such actions are performed. We are not only formed to do this, but we are specially formed to do it. We are created with an impulsion to exercise these affections, and we are conscious that it is the highest impulsion of our nature. Now, whatever we see of moral excellence on earth, springs from Him, as its first and original cause. He created the circumstances under which it exists, and created, with all its powers, the being by whom it is displayed. Nor this alone. He possesses, essentially, and in an infinite degree, and without the possi-` bility of imperfection, every moral attribute. If, then, the highest impulsion of our nature teaches us to love and venerate these attributes, even as they are displayed in their imperfection on earth, by how much more

are we

under obligation to love these attributes, as they are possessed by our Father who is in heaven! If a single act of justice deserves our veneration, how much more should we venerate that justice which has governed this universe without the shadow of a spot, from eternity! If a single act of purity deserves our regard, with what awe should we adore the holiness of Him, in whose sight the heavens are unclean! If a single act of benevolence deserve our love. with what affection should we bow before Him, who, from eternity, has been pouring abroad a ceaseless flood of blessedness, over the boundless universe by which He is sur rounded!

And yet more, I think it is manifest that we are so constituted as to be under obligations to love such attributes as I have mentioned, entirely aside from the consideration of their connection with ourselves. We admire justice and