We have seen that when God made man, He designed him to be holy, and eternally happy; and therefore He formed him after the fashion of His own moral likeness, and placed his flesh in subjection to his spirit. His powers, though not perfected were, as far as they extended, made perfect; and he had as close a resemblance to God bestowed upon him as his capacity admitted of; but from all this he has apostatized—the merciful design of God he has frustrated -the image of God he has defaced; and now, in his moral character, he is as unlike the lovely and glorious God, as is Satan to the bright and pure spirit he once was in the presence of the Holy. No longer is the flesh subject to the spirit, and no longer does man choose that which is holy and good rather than that which is evil. The rule and directory of righteousness which God gave him, stamping it upon his very nature, and writing it upon his heart, he has departed from. He has broken the law which is holy, just, and good. The supreme love of God has passed away from his soul, and in its place have come love of self, love of pleasure, and love of sin; in short, "he has worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator." (Rom. i. 25).

With the love of God has vanished from man also the love of his brother. That intense affection which the law taught him to bestow upon his neighbour has been chilled in his breast; and instead thereof have taken possession of his soul envy, jealousy, hatred,

malice, and every evil passion and temper which Satan could devise to mar the purity and disturb the peace of God's creation. Hence is man a rebel against the moral government of God; he has turned his back upon his Maker, despised His will, violated His law, trampled upon His authority, and by every act helped the direst foe of God to subvert His kingdom, to destroy His rights, and to usurp His throne: yea, to the mild and gentle government of a good and merciful sovereign, he has preferred the sway of him who rules a despot in his dark domain, and with cruel tyranny delights in the misery, wretchedness, and woe, which his malicious nature is ever contriving for his unhappy subjects.

Now, having been put on our trial at the bar of conscience—having had our actions judged by God's holy law, and being found guilty of the awful sin of apostacy and rebellion against Jehovah, what is the sentence of condemnation which is passed upon us? Listen, all ye who think your goodness sufficient to satisfy a holy God-listen to the Spirit, who says, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (Gal. iii. 10.)

Mark how general is this condemnation, and how utterly hopeless is the case of those who are trusting to their fulfilment of the law for justification before God. "Cursed is every one." There is no exception to this just condemnation, for "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" and unless the objector

can shew, upon an examination of himself by the light of God's infinitely holy law, that he has kept it inviolable and invariably, and never in thought, desire, imagination, or act, transgressed one of its requirements; but has loved the Lord his God with all his heart, and all his soul, and all his mind, and his neighbour as himself, his guilt is proved-he stands condemned, and he is accursed. No partial obedience he may have rendered will lessen his condemnation; for the law demands a full and perfect obedience to its requirements, and, as no man has ever accomplished this, all are guilty, and all are accursed. But what is the nature of this condemnation? Reader, be thou assured, that none will know it, and no human tongue will be able to describe it, until its weight is felt; for who can paint the woes of the lost but one who has tasted the bitterness of eternal death? Who can describe the torments of the damned, but one who has felt the burning of that fire which never shall be quenched and the gnawing of that worm which never can die? The full extent of the wicked's woe we know little of, but of this we may be certain, that the curse of God is the heaviest of evils that can fall upon a creature; for, to be cursed of God is to be excluded from heaven, and from the ineffable delights which are ever flowing into the souls of the redeemed. To be cursed of God is to be deprived of hope, that sweetener of life, and thrust down into the deepest and darkest despair. To be cursed of God is to be ever dying, and never die—

to be the victim of eternal and unchecked wrath,-to be cast into hell, where are congregated the wicked and vile of all ages, who, unchecked by law, and unrestrained by shame, give license to their unbridled passions, and full vent to their unclean, unholy, and abominable lusts.

Here is sufficient knowledge of the wretchedness of those who are under the curse of God. Surely we need not further unveil their woe, for here is enough to make the stoutest sinner tremble when he thinks of the day-the dreadful day of judgment-when, at the trumpet's voice, he must come forth to the bar of an infinitely holy God, with all the risen dead, there to be tried by that law which he has despised and broken; and then listen to the sentence of eternal condemnation, which shall be passed upon his trembling soul, "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matt. xxv. 41). O what horror will then seize upon the soul as it turns away from heaven's portal, and from hope, to go down into the shades of eternal despair and death! Then will the weight of Jehovah's wrath be felt, and then will be understood the full meaning of those awful words, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them."

D

CHAPTER IV.

GOD'S JUSTICE IN MAN'S CONDEMNATION FOR HIS VIOLATION OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS.

"Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of Thy grace, may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." The Fourth Sunday in Lent.

A VERY superficial observer of God's moral government may easily discover that this world is not the theatre for the display of Divine justice. Though we see that to certain crimes God has annexed punishments, and so to a sufficient extent has displayed His abhorrence of sin; it is not universally true that iniquity is here punished, or virtue rewarded; the greatest criminals being often the most prosperous, while among the poorest and most afflicted are found many of God's most faithful servants.

As we know that God is just, but yet observe that in His moral government strict justice is not now made manifest, we have reason to believe that there is another world, which will be the theatre for the exhibition of this perfection, where the righteous shall be rewarded, and the wicked punished; and this, which