not be confined to units; it is true, they are each capable of perfect combination only by weight and measure, according to the affinity of each for each; but they have also a capacity of being mixed in almost every proportion that can be imagined; therefore, instead of these fifty-two elementary substances being confined to units, each, in the way of mixture, may be accounted fifty, in the formation of varieties, if needful: thus is the mind of man led forward into immensity.

It has been frequently observed, that the Creator exhibits a peculiar economy in every department of creation, and that superfluity is unknown throughout the whole. In no instance does this truth stand more conspicuous than in the present one. Such is the constitution of these fifty-two elementary substances, that varieties approaching infinite naturally result from their union. We behold and wonder, and our wonder ought, in reference to that wisdom and power which created all, to elicit praise. To Him it is due from every creature; and myriads of sublime intelligences ardently laud His immediate presence in perpetuity.

(To be continued.)

SOLITARY HOURS.

No. IX.-On the Attributes of God, as displayed in the Plan of Human Redemption.

"How great His power is none can tell;
Nor think how large His grace;
Not men on earth, nor saints that dwell
On high, before His face."

WATTS. THAT a rational and intelligent being could attentively contemplate the works of creation and providence, without recognizing in them the hand of a supreme Being, has always appeared to the writer one of those paradoxes in the history of human nature, which can be accounted for on no other principle than that of the degeneracy of man. There is something so awfully grand and incomprehensible, in the structure and scenery of the heavens above,-in those parts of our material world with which we are more intimately conversant, and in those events and circumstances which occur both in the physical and moral world, and which we are certain are beyond the

range of human intelligence and prowess to accomplish,-that it is matter of wonder, how a being in the full possession of his rational faculties could for a moment doubt, much more deny, the existence of a supreme Being, and his possession of those attributes which the oracles of truth have ascribed to him. Indeed, it appears extremely difficult to determine, whether the man who is thus deaf to the silent but eloquent language of nature and providence, be most entitled to our pity or our reprehension.

But though there are many, who, from the deplorable perversion of their intellectual powers, live and die under the dominion of sceptical and atheistical sentiments, there have been some in all ages of the world, who, from the light afforded them by the volumes of creation and providence, have been led to recognize, and to be as firmly convinced of, the existence of the Deity, as they were of any of those facts which could be subjected to the indisputable test of ocular demonstration. There were many, particularly of the ancient heathen philosophers, who, though they had nothing more than the light of nature and the dictates of reason to guide them in their researches, yet arrived at an unshaken persuasion regarding the existence of Jehovah, and some of those attributes with which he is invested.

It is only, however, from the volume of inspiration, that man can derive that knowledge of the Most High which is capable of administering present joy to his mind, and of inSpiring him with well-grounded hopes of a blessed immortality; for along with that knowledge regarding the supreme Being, which the unassisted dictates of reason can furnish, he learns from the same source, that he is a guilty and responsible creature, while it leaves him involved in awful uncertainties, and under the influence of fearful forebodings respecting his state of future existence. But it is the peculiar province of the Christian dispensation, to disclose to sinners the only way by which pardoning mercy can be extended to them, and the only Mediator by whose meritorious sufferings and intercessions, a reconciliation can be effected betwixt an offended God and offending creatures. To make known, in the clearest

possible light, the stupendous scheme of human redemption, is the great end of gospel revelation; and it is only a saving acquaintance with, or personal interest in, the great mysteries of redeeming grace, that can afford the convicted sinner any perfect comfort, or constitute a solid foundation on which to rest his hopes of future felicity.

The love of God to the fallen family of Adam is manifested in the works of creation, and the dispensations of his providence. The sun, the moon, and those other apparently lesser luminaries which bespangle the firmament, were originally placed, and are constantly preserved, in their respective orbits, for the benevolent purpose of affording us that light which is necessary for our convenience and happiness. And it is for this gracious end, in conjunction with the promotion of his own glory, that the world which we inhabit is so admirably constructed. It presents us with all that beautiful variety of hill and dale, of wood and plain, of river and ocean, which is so powerfully calculated to please the eye and feast the imagination. The ground on which we tread is neither too soft for our various movements, nor too hard for the purposes of vegetation: nor is the atmosphere with which we are surrounded either too rare or too dense for the continued process of breathing. He hath also endowed us with intellectual faculties, capable, in some measure at least, of appreciating the beauty and utility of his creation, and of partially enjoying its numerous benefits. In the dispensations of his providence, the love and kindness of the Deity are likewise clearly displayed. He sendeth summer and winter, seedtime and harvest, and all the agreeable variations of the seasons. He causeth showers of rain to descend from heaven to water the earth, that the purposes of vegetation may be advanced. He guardeth us from innumerable evils and infirmities; and delivers us from thousands of unseen dangers which would prove fatal to our existence. In fine, he is daily loading us with his benefits.

"His

of creation and providence, it shines with an infinitely higher degree of splendour in the plan of human redemption. This will evidently appear, if we apply the same principles as tests to his love, which we employ in forming our estimate of the love of one individual to another, namely, its duration-the character of the person in whose breast it is cherished-that of the individual who is the object of it-the sacrifices which are made in its manifestation-and the fruits or effects which it produces.

The excellency of the love of God, then, appears in its eternal duration, both as it relates to his past and to his future existence. We are not disposed to entertain very exalted sentiments respecting an individual's love which is but of yesterday, and which may vanish to-morrow-provided its object be equally needing it-however intense it may be during its continuance. But we cherish the very highest opinion of the man, whose affection commenced with our first acquaintance, and which continues unabated so long as we are in circumstances to require it. Now, the love of God had no beginning, neither shall it have an end. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; and therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee,"-is the language of the Most High to his people. By his prescience, he, from all eternity, saw our mournful apostasy from our first estate, and that abyss of degradation and misery into which we would plunge ourselves; and precisely coeval with his foreknowledge, was the commencement of that love which he hath ever since cherished towards us without the slightest variation change. And as the love of the supreme Being towards his people has existed from eternity, so without any diminution it shall continue for ever. They are the objects of his love now; they shall be so amid the various circumstances in which they may be situated during their journey through life; they shall remain so in the hour of death, at the judgment seat, and throughout eternity.

or

To form some faint conceptions of the duration of eternity, and consequently of the duration of God's love, we may employ the following method of computation.-Let us suppose that the whole of our globe, which in

circumference measures twenty-five thousand geographical miles, were covered with water to the average depth of one hundred miles; and that out of this immeasurable quantity of water, one single drop of the smallest imaginable size were to be extracted every million of ages, until the whole should be removed from its original basin. Let us further suppose, that, with a quantity of water equally immense, the same process were to be repeated at equally lengthened intervals of time, one million times more; even then, though the number of ages which, during that period, would elapse, be infinitely beyond the powers of arithmetic to compute,-the love of God would be as far from its termination as ever.

But the character of the Most High should lead those who are the objects of his love, to cherish the highest opinions of its excellency. His word, his works, and the dispensations of his providence, concur in declaring him to be possessed of infinite glory, and majesty divine. He is the centre of all perfection-omnipotent in power -unbounded in knowledge-unlimited in wisdom-infinitely happy in himself and unsullied in purity. He is the creator and preserver of those angelic hosts which perpetually surround his throne; and from him emanate all the glory and felicity they enjoy. Every thing in heaven owes its existence to his sovereign pleasure, infinite wisdom, and unlimited power. He is the exclusive proprietor, both by creation and preservation, of all things in the world which we inhabit, and of those other innumerable worlds which revolve through the illimitable regions of space. All nature acknowledges his supreme authority. He speaks, and it is done. He commands, and it stands fast.

The wonderful nature of the love of God towards man will further appear, if we consider the character of those who are the objects of it. The dictates of inspiration represent us as poor, and miserable, and wretched, and blind, and naked-altogether destitute of every spiritual good, even enemies to him in our hearts by wicked works. From the crown of our heads to the soles of our feet we are full of wounds and bruises, and putrifying Almost every trace of the divine image hath been obliterated from

sores.

our minds; and we have become greatly assimilated in our spirits and practices to the arch-enemy of God and man.

Now, that a being possessed of infinite glory and excellency should have vouchsafed to make such vile and worthless creatures as we, the objects of his peculiar regard, is surely an act of the highest possible condescension; since, instead of having one single quality to attract, we had every thing in us and about us which could have a tendency to repel his love.

The excellency of the love of God towards men appears from the sacrifice which he has provided for the manifestation of it. We are accustomed to entertain the most exalted conceptions respecting the love of that man who voluntarily submits to some painful sacrifice to promote the happiness of the individual who is the object of it. Now, let us contemplate the sacrifice which has been made in the manifestation of the divine love, in order that we might enjoy its benefits. God appointed his only-begotten and well-beloved Son, who existed in his bosom from all eternity, to assume our degraded nature, that by his sufferings and death he might atone for our transgressions, and procure for us a blessed immortality. And how great and protracted were his sufferings! They were coeval with the first breathings of his earthly existence; and they present us with one uninterrupted scene of continuity until he closed his eyes in death. Let Christians think seriously and frequently on the character and sufferings of Christ in their room, and the higher will be their conceptions of, and the greater their astonishment at, the marvellous love of God to a guilty world.

The greatness of the Deity's love to sinners may be argued from the fruits or effects of it. It is customary for us to entertain the very highest sentiments respecting the love of the man whose friendly actions on our behalf have been many and great. Now, if we contemplate the fruits or effects of God's love towards us, its inconceivable vastness will shine forth with the greatest splendour. We have seen, in some of our former essays* in the Imperial Magazine, that the

* Vide Solitary Hours, Nos. IV. and V.

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goodness, the wisdom, the power, and indeed all the other perfections of Deity, shall be employed for the purpose of its beautification. Now, as there is something peculiarly pleas

At the sound of the last trumpet, the saints of God shall arise from their graves, with their once vile bodies changed like unto the glorious body of Christ, and shall be caught up into the air to meet him at his second advent into our world. Then shall they hear their Judge pronounce upon them the blessed sentence, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," and immediately they shall be introduced into those mansions which Christ Jesus has prepared for them, in which they shall enjoy all that felicity of which their then exalted and perfected natures shall be susceptible.

Independently of complete and eternal deliverance from all bodily pain and every species of mental suffering, they shall derive still more exalted pleasures, from beholding the most delightful objects-from their extensive knowledge of divine things -their associating with the choicest company their being engaged in the most exalted exercises-and from the blessed assurance that all their enjoyments shall be eternal in their duration.

These objects of God's love shall derive a portion of their ineffable pleasures in the heavenly state, from the delightful objects they shall behold. But of these inanimate realities, though represented to us through the medium of earthly analogies, we can form only inadequate conceptions. Of this, however, we are certain, that every thing there beheld shall be of the most delightful kind. The scenery, if we may use the expression, of the upper sanctuary shall be of the most beautiful description, which it will be possible for the vision of glorified saints to behold; for the

Their extensive knowledge of divine things, shall also constitute another ingredient in their cup of bliss. No doubt, there will be in the heavenly state, many things which even the redeemed, notwithstanding the vast expansion of their intellectual faculties, will not, to the remotest ages of eternity, be able fully to fathom or comprehend; and the greatness of the love of God as displayed in their redemption, shall constitute one of the number. Still, however, their acquaintance with divine realities shall be of an inconceivably extensive nature. Many of those circumstances, connected with the works of creation, the dispensations of providence, and the economy of grace, which in this life baffled their profoundest cogitations, shall then be fully understood by them. They shall then, likewise, acquire a thorough acquaintance with many divine subjects, which, in consequence of their limited faculties while in this world, they dared not attempt to comprehend. New truths and principles will be constantly developed, and their knowledge of God and of the holy angels shall be progressively advancing throughout the unceasing revolutions of eternity. In one word, though we now see as through a glass darkly, we shall then see face to face, and know even as we are known. And if the minds of Christians, while in this world, were ever thirsting after an increased acquaintance with the deep things of God, and they felt themselves gratified in proportion as their religious knowledge increased, we may well conceive how elevated must be their pleasures-how great their happiness in heaven, from this mighty influx of spiritual intelligence.

The redeemed in heaven shall associate with the choicest company, and thence derive a portion of the