Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed. Gen. xix. 24, 25. Dust changed into lice. Exod. viii. 17. Murrain among the cattle. Exod. ix. 6. Storm of hail mingled with fire. Exod. ix. 24. Three days' darkness. Exod. x. 22. Egyptians drowned in the Red sea. Exod. xiv. 27. Korah and his company destroyed. Num. xvi. 32. Red sea divided. Exod. xiv. 21. Israel fed with manna. Exod. xvi. 14, 15. Rock of Horeb smitten. Exod. xvii. 6. Another rock smitten. Num. xx. 11. Jordan divided. Josh. iii. 16. Walls of Jericho thrown down. Josh. vi. 20. Sun and moon stand still. Josh. x. 13. Gideon conquers with three hundred men. Judges vii. 22. Daniel in the lion's den. Dan. vi. 22. Jonah in the whale's belly. Jon. ii. 10. Paul unhurt by the viper. Acts xxviii. 5. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. Isa. liv. 17. Collect, 11th Sunday after Trinity.-Who declarest thy Almighty power, chiefly in showing mercy and pity. Apply to him for the exercise of his power on your behalf. 3d Collect, Morning Prayer.-Defend us in the same way with thy mighty power. 2d Sunday after Epiphany.-Almighty and everlasting God, who dost govern all things, &c. 3d Sunday in Lent.-Stretch forth the right hand of thy majesty, to be our defence. 8th Sunday after Trinity.-O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things. He is a God of GLORY. Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Ps. viii. 1. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory. 1 Chron. xxix. 11. The whole earth is full of his glory. Isa. vi. 3. Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Matt. vi. 13. Te Deum.-Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy He is HOLY. Ye shall be holy, for I am holy. Lev. xi. 45; xix. 2. 1 Pet. 15, 16. He is an holy God; he is a jealous God. Josh. xxiv. 19. Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness. Ps. v. 4. One cried, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. Isa. vi. 3. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil. Hab. i. 13. Holy Father, keep those whom thou hast given me. John xvii. 11. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Rev. iv. 8. How long, O Lord, holy and true. Rev. vi. 10. He is JUST. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Gen. xviii. 25. Just and right is he. Deut. xxxii. 4. Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Ps. lxxxix. 14. The Lord is righteous in all his ways. Ps. cxlv. 17. I the Lord, a just God and a Saviour. Isa. xlv. 21. Are not my ways equal? Ezek. xviii. 29. He shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Matt. xxv. 32, 33. God is no respecter of persons. Acts x. 34. Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Rom. xii. 19. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 1 John i. 9. He is a God of LOVE. He hateth nothing that he hath made, and loveth his people with an everlasting love. How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God. Ps. xxxvi. 7. The Lord is good to all, &c. Ps. cxlv. 9. I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Jer. xxxi. 3. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. John iii. 16. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John xv. 13. God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom. v. 8. The God of love and peace shall be with you. 2 Cor. xiii. 11. His great love wherewith he loved us. Eph. ii. 4, 5. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. 1 John iii. 1. God is love. 1 John iv. 8. 16. In this was manifested the love of God, &c. 1John i. 8, 9. He is MERCIFUL. The Lord God, merciful and gracious, keeping mercy for thousands. Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. Thou art a God ready to pardon, a gracious and merciful God. Neh. xi. 17. 31. His mercy is everlasting. Ps. c. 5. As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. Ps. ciii. 11. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. Lam. iii. 22. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness. Dan. ix. 9. He sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, &c. Matt. v. 45. Be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Luke vi. 36. The Father of mercies. 2 Cor. i. 3. God, who is rich in mercy. Eph. ii. 4. According to his mercy he saved us. Tit. iii. 5. The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy. James v. 11. He is a God of TRUTH and FAITHFULNESS. He hates and abhors lies. If you believe not, you make him a liar. 1 John v. 10. How dreadful an insult! Ask yourself, Do I believe him? Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Ps. xxxvi. 5. Let God be true, but every man a liar. Rom. iii. 4. God is faithful. 1 Cor. i. 9. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. 1 Cor. x. 13. Eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised. Tit. i. 2. He is a COVENANT-KEEPING God. The covenant made with Noah. Gen. ix. 9. 11. Abraham, Gen. xvii. 2-9. Isaac, Gen. xvii. 19. Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 13-15. Confirmation of the covenant. Exod. vi. 4. Promise of a new covenant. Jer. xxxi. 31. Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant. Heb. viii. 6-9. xxiii. 5. My covenant will I not break. Ps. lxxxix. 34. My spirit shall not depart out of my mouth. Isa. lix. 21. He is UNCHANGEABLE. I am the Lord, I change not. Mal. iii. 6. The immutability of his counsel. Heb. vi. 17. 2 Sam. With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James i. 17. He is unchangeable in his determination to punish all unrepenting sinners, and in his love and mercy to those who fear and obey him. God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Num. xxiii. 19. The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent. 1 Sam. xv. 29. Yet, however positive the denunciations of God against sin may appear, they are not to be understood as shutting up any repenting sinner in despair. Nor can we have any which we once appeared to have an interest, after we have forsaken that path of holiness, which was the evidence of our title to those blessings. And the Lord repented of the evil that he thought to do unto his people. Exod. xxxii. 14. It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king. 1 Sam. xv. 11. 35. And God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them; and he did it not. Jon. iii. 2. 10. If that nation do evil in my sight, I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them. Jer. xviii. 8-10; see also Jer. xxvi. 13; xlii. 10. How does the Creed further describe God? As the "Maker of heaven and earth;" the Nicene creed adds, "and of all things visible and invisible." We must believe, not only that they were made, but that they were made by God, and at the time and in the manner described by Scripture. Men work from materials; but God formed all things from nothing. He calleth those things which be not as though they were. Rom. iv. 17. The worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Heb. xi. 3. The work of creation is described in the first and second chapters of Genesis. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. i. 1. 1st day. He made the light. 2d day. The firmament. 3d day. Waters separated from the land; grass, and fruit trees. 4th day. The sun, moon, and stars. 5th day. Inhabitants of water, and fowls. 6th day. Beasts and reptiles.-Man out of dust. (Dust thou art. Gen. iii. 19.) 7th day. He rested, and hallowed the seventh day. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth. Exod. xx. 11; xxxi. 17. The heavens, the work of thy fingers, &c. Ps. viii. 3. He commanded, and they were created. Ps. cxlviii. 5. He made the earth by his power, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. Jer. x. 12; li. 15. Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the earth. Heb. i. 10. Every house is builded by some man, but he that built all things is God. Heb. iii. 4. Angels were also created by God. Who maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flame of fire. Ps. civ. 4. Heb. i. 7. Why were all things created? For the pleasure of the Almighty. Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Rev. iv. 11. Do you believe in God the Father, in all his characters and attributes, as revealed in the Scriptures? Have you been reconciled to him through his son Jesus Christ? If so, you are living a blameless and holy life-obedient to your parents and teachers-desirous to receive instruction -reverencing the sabbath-doing to others as you would that they should do to you-in short, keeping all the commandments of God, and hating every evil way. Then happy indeed is your state, and you are ripening for still more exalted happiness in another world. But if the absence of these holy habits and inclinations, and an attachment to sin and sinful companions, show that you do not yet truly believe in him, that you are still unreconciled and at enmity with him, let the conviction stop your dangerous career. Reflect on the character of him with whom you have to do. Tremble at his vengeance-lay hold on his mercy-betake yourself unto him, and say, with humble confidence, but salutary fear, "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief." NOTE. ON THE WORDS, I BELIEVE. THERE is probably a misapprehension, in the minds of many persons, with respect to the nature of the faith which is professed by every individual, who says of all the articles of the creed I believe. He thereby expresses his assent to them, and professes his faith in them to the world. "Remember, then, since we profess this faith, which is the proper seat of faith. Not our books, our tongues only, or memories, or judgment, but our conscience; and not our natural conscience defiled and stuffed with sin, but renewed and sanctified by grace. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."" 1 Tim. iii. 9.-Exposition of the Creed, by Archbishop Leighton. In Bishop Pearson's exposition of the creed it is well said: "In the heart faith is seated; with the tongue confession is made: between these two salvation is completed. 'If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' Rom. x. 9. This faith of the heart every one ought, and is presumed to have; this confession of the mouth every one is known to make when he pronounceth these words of the CREED I believe; and if true he may with comfort say, 'the word of faith is nigh me, even in my mouth and in my heart.' Rom. x. 8. First in my heart really assenting, then in my mouth clearly and sincerely professing with the prophet David, 'I have believed, therefore I have spoken. Ps. |