ple alive.

овсе

unto good,” to bring to pass, as it blessed.” All the blessings which is this day, to preserve much peo- have been enjoyed by Jews or

Gentiles through the Messiah, “God meant it unto good.” He and all that will be enjoyed to meant the good of Joseph. Hay. the end of time or to eternity, were ing appointed him to an eminent implied in the good which “God station in the world, it was nec- meant to bring about by the afessary that he should be prepar- fictive event of Joseph's being ed for it, by a series of suffer. sold into Egypt. ings, that he might feel for the Moreover, the history of Joo afflictions of others, and be dis. seph, being written and transposed to treat with tenderness mitted from age to age, and disthose who might be subject to his persed among the nations, has power; and that he might typify been a means of instruction and the Messiah, who was to come

comfort to millions of pious peofor the salvation of the world. ple in times of perplexity and

“God meant it unto good” in affliction. When they have been respect to the Egyptians and oppressed with grief and anxiety neighboring nations; for he had on account of distressing events, appointed Joseph to be the in. and have been ready to say, as strument of their preservation Jacob did, "All these during a seven years famine.

things are against me,” the re“God meant it” also for the sult of Joseph's afflictions has “good” of Jacob and his numer- occurred to console their minds, ous family; nay even of those and to excite them to confide in guilty brethren, who sold Joseph Joseph's God. into Egypt to prevent the accom- All the friends of God in their plishment of his prophetic various trials and perplexities, dreams. The very means their may derive support from the senenvy adopted, were overruled by timent, “God meant it unto good." God to accomplish what they They may not be able at all wished to prevent, and at the times to discern, how their afsame time to preserve the whole fictious are to be made subservi. family from destruction. Howent to good; but a little reflection

; affecting this thought must have will convince them, that Joseph's been to them, when suggested by God still lives and reigns, that their brother, at the time they his wisdom, power, and goodness were supplicating his forgiveness. are unchangeably the same; that

“God meant it unto good," not the course of Providence cannot only to Joseph, to the Egyptians, in any case be more dark, mysteand neighboring bations, to Ja. rious, and perplexing to them, cob and his family, but also to than it was at some periods to Jathe great family of mankind. cob and Joseph, and that what By thus sending Joseph into they know not now, they may Egypt, God preserved the fami- know hereafter to their joy, as ly from which the Messiah was thoxe patriarchs did. to come into the world, in whom Are we afflicted by pain, sick. Kall the nations of the earth were ness, or the loss of friends? Are

>

brought into poverty and had been guilty of selling him for want? Are we made the subjects a slave. A more inhumav pieco ef envy or reproach, for follow- of conduet has seldom been reing the Lord, of doing our duty corded. Most of the injuries in any particular caserlo all wbich Christians of the present these and all other trials, we may day receive, one from an other, have this consolation, God means or from any of their fellow inen, it unto good for good to us, or to are light when compared with others. There may be some. the treatment Joseph received thing in our temper or conduct from his brethren; and seldom wbieh needs to be corrected, and has it been more within the pow. which may render our afflictions er of any person to revenge a Decessary to our ultimate happi- wrong, or to render evil for evil vess; or God may have de- with impunity, than it was in the signed the affliction to prepare power of Joseph. But it was his as for greater usefulness, or for temper lo "overeome evil withi an admonitiou to some of our good.” Instead of inflicting connexions, to our friends, or our what others would have called enemies. Under all kinds of at- exemplary vengeance, on those fliction it should be the care of who had abused him, he was all the Christian to profit by the tenderuess and compassion to. chastening of God. He should wards them. He was disposed examine his temper and his life, to nourish both them and their and inquire what is amiss, what children, while they were as there is to be corrected, that he strangers in Egypt. Although may be more conformed to the this was prior to the Christian precepts and example of our Sa- dispensation, it may not impropvior, and be more extensively erly be termed truly Christian or Useful in the world. Even the Christlike conduct; and it is wor. most bitter censures and re- thy to be imitated by all who proaches, or the most unkind bear the Christian name. treatment, may thus be converted How powerful and how benig. inló means of benefit and spiritu- napt would be the influence, it al improvement.

all who name the pame of Christ The history of Joseph is par. would “Go and do likewise?" tieularly adapted to the benefit Then would they shine as lights of Christiaos in regard to the ex. in the world, and others, seeing ample he gave of a benevolent, their good works, would be led forbearing, and forgiving temper, 10 glorify their Fáther who is in towards his cruel brethren, who heaven.

GOD OMNIPRESENT.

EVERY thing we can say of where present by his agency and the immensity of God may be his knowledge. resolved into this he is every Let us contemplate God as the

Yol. iy.

cause, but

universal Agent. He is the which impels, we must travel on mover of every thing we see in from cause to motion. Pause and contemplate must arrive at last to the throne the boundless frame of nature. of Jehovah, and rest upon the What an arm is that on which arm of an uncaused being, hangs the weight of creation! In the motions of inanimate What a power is that wbich moves matter it is perhaps sufficiently the system of the world! These are evident, that the agency of God contemplations which wonder. must be continually exerting itfully exercise the human mind; self. But it is said, the world is we try to grasp the subjeet, and full of life and intelligence, as the mind sinks exhausted. well as motion; we see creatures

We say that God pervades, who without any other agency adjusts, sustains, and agitates the appear to move themselves, and whole of nature; because it is appear to move unconscious of impossible to assign a reason why any influence from God. It he should be excluded from one should however be remembered, place rather than another, and that moral freedom does not imbecaase wherever there is mo- ply independence, and that in tion, there must be a mover, and God we all live, and move, and wherever there is life, that life have our being. must be supported. All around 6.Thou God seest me,” is a docus is life and motion uninterrupt- trine strictly practical, a plain edly continued. When we take proposition, not to be obscured by up a body and send it, our strong. explanation or perverted by, inest effort carries it only to a lit- genuity. It is also a truth which tle distance; it then falls, and is we cannot be puzzled to apply. motionless. But those vast balls, To the good man it is a truth which sweep along the field of pregnant with consolation. Ho heaven, have been moving more who can look up to God as a fathan 5000 years within the re- ther, and on whom God can look, cords of human knowledge, and down as upon a son, rejoices that that too with inconceivable ve his path and his lying down are

. locity. Will you say that this compassed with the infinite knowlregular and unceasing velocity is edge of his God. Hence all the result of the laws of nature? about him is open and serene. But these motions are effects, and He seems to enjoy the perpetual effects suppose power,

and

power company of omniscience. To an agent. A law is not an agent, him solitude brings no weari. por can it execute itself. Law

ness or terror; nor does the bu. without power is a sound, a no- siness of life so engross or dissi. tion, a ponentity. The phrase, pate his thoughts that he cannot the laws of nature, when applied recur instantly to the recollecto the motions of the universe, tion of an omnipresent Being. expresses only the uniformity and To him every spot is consecrated regularity, according to which ground; for God is there. In the the inexplicable motions are con. darkness of the night his patb is ducted. To find the power illumined by the presence of

God. In the stillness of the ing from the scenes of guilt and evening he feels the all surround. remorse. He takes the wings of ing influence of divine power, the morning, and flies to the ut. When he mixes with the throng termost parts of the sea; but he in the business of the world, an finds evidence that God was eye which cannot be eluded seems there before him. Is there no to pierce into his employments, one of the innumerable worlds a hand which cannot be entan- out of the reach of an offended gled unravels all his motions, God? The guilty wretch tries the and lays open bis progress. The experiment. He rushes, O God, integrity of such a man is sure out of this world, makes his bed and unimpeachable. You may in hell, awakes, and “behold thou build upon it as upon a rock of art there!" granite. His conversation is that An indescribable interest is of one talking upon oath-his thrown over the doctrine of the witness is in heaven, his record omniscience and omnipresence of is on high.

God, when considered in connex. Who can describe the conso. ion with the judgment which is lation which is found in being to follow. He who now observes able to appeal from the false and every determination we form, will eruel judgments of men to the be himself our Judge. Every decisions of him who knoweth moment is the testimony taking all things; to fly from the pelt-' under the eye of beaven which ings of calumny, and shelter one's , is to acquit or condemn us hereself in the secret place of the after. Nothing less than Om. Most High; to escape from the niscience perpetually exercised, suspicions and treacheries of is capable of deciding upon such man, and lean upon the unfailing mixed characters as ours, and of promises of God; to seek relief assigning to the infinite multifrom the false opinions of those tude of moral agents unchangea. we love, by pouring out at the ble places of abode, without con. feet of an impartial God the se- fusion and without injustice. crets of the soul, crying, like Pe- To the man who believes in ter, “Lord, thou knowest all the constant presence and superthings, thou knowest I love thee!” intendance of Deity nothing is On the other hand, when the uninteresting. All history is a wicked attempt to flee from the roll, inscribed with the name of observation of Omniscience, how God. When he sees how unexvain is the attempt! Follow pectedly, and how easily events the guilty man in his restless rise out of events; how intimatewanderings. See him plunging ly every thing is connected with into the crowd and bustle of the all other things by innumerable world, as if he thought he might links and dependencies, when the be unobserved in the confusion; counsels of the prudent are per. but in vain; an eye seems to fol- plexed, and the predictions of low him, and to mark him out ihe discerning are falsified, how from among the throng. He re- inestimable to such a man is the solves to seek for rest by remove assurance, that there is one be

can

or

ING, to whom all this is plain, summit of Christian excellence,
who discerns the end from the the perfection of Christian pie-
beginning, who explores the fu, ty.
ture with greater ease than we But if in the universe of which
read the past, and who not only we make a part, there, exists
comprehends in his instantane. Being who fills all space, who

,
ous survey the grand events of possesses all power, whose good-
every period; but is concerned

ness has vo bounds, whose disin every motion, however incon, cernment cannot be eluded, whose șiderable, in the system of na- will cannot be thwarted, and ture,

whose existence cannot be terIt is difficult to conceive how minated; what person the sentiment of supreme love to ought to reflect, without trem, God can be maintained with that bling, that he has lived a year, a intensity which the language of day, of his rational life, regard. scripture requires, except in the less of this mighty Spirit, or that mind of ope who is accustomed he has engaged in any enter, to view God in every thing, to prize or indulged any passion, see, and hear, and feel his pre. in which the idea of such a Be. gence as babitually as he per. ing was insupportable or aların, ceives by his senses the objects ing! which surround him. In this Let us then always commit manner whatever attachments . ourselves and one another to such a man may feel to his God, by the spirit of Christian friends, his children, his country, prayer, as to a faithful Creators or his favorite pursuits; the idea beseeching him to lead us safely of God, as the author of all he through the temptations, the enjoys, is so inseparably connect. darkness and confusion of the ed and completely mingled with present state, to a region where all his thoughts, that in loving we shall enjoy his unelouded prethem he loves their author; and sence; and where the mysteries every separate affection unites of his providence shall be unfold. and coalesces in the all-embrac- ed and he be seen "from seeming ing idea and sentiment of affec. evil still educing good," "and tion towards God everywhere pre- better thence again, and better sent and doing good. This is the still, in infinite progression." B.

THE REVIVAL OF JESUITISM.

In the Christian Observer for by them in former ages. In our March 1815, we have a Re- sketch of Ganganelli, in Number view of “A brief account of pine of the last Volume, we stat. the Jesuits," in which is giv- ed the fact, that he abolished the en a striking description of Ipstitution of the Jesuits. the principles of that order of But notwithstanding the infal. men, and of the mischiefs done Jibility of popes, they can con.