thy life. Thorns alfo and thistles Shall it bring forth to thee: and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the fweat of thy face fhalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground for out of it waft thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto duft fhalt thou return.

T1

HE curfe on the ground, the thorns and thistles, the fweat of the face, and the return to duft, appear to be general expreffions comprehending the evils which fhould come upon mankind in this life. By thefe, God told Adam, that he would continually manifeft his disapprobation of fin. He admonishes us by thefe, of our fallen, finful ftate, and of his difpleasure againft us on this account. The evils here threatened are defigned to remind us, that we are finners in the fight of God; and fo, to keep up a continual evidence in the world, that there is a controverfy between God and man, which fhould be an evidence to us, that God has not given up his law; but holds us guilty; while the favors we receive in the mean time, are an evidence of his mercy to a finful world. Thefe evils, in a ftate of probation, are calculated to imprefs our minds with the importance of being reconciled to God. They are falutary chastisements.

We shall now notice fome of the thorns and thiftles-the uncomfortable things, which take place in this world.-That thefe may appear in their true light, it should first be noticed, that according to the holy fcriptures, when this world was created at firft, and mankind were placed in it, in the garden of Eden, there were no forrows, or other evils. Man was himself immortal, was fubject to no afflictions: No curfe was de

|

nounced upon the earth, no thorns
or thistles infefted the fields; there
was no painful labor, or sweat of
the face, nor had any woe been
pronounced on man
kind. These evils were not origi-
nally natural to the world, but
came as a divine frown, in confe-
quence of fin.

or woman

Of the uncomfortable things which take place, it may be ob ferved firft, that the general face of nature is overfpread with evils. There are painful and tedious extremities of the feafons. In many parts of the work, the alternate viciffitudes of extreme heat and cold, are very diftreffing, and in many inftances, they are fatal to mankind. In fuch places, during winter, vegetation is stopped, the fields and forests barren, nothing is produced for man or beaft. In this refpect, nature lies in ruins. And on the other hand, the extreme heat of the fummer relaxes every nerve.

Sometimes alfo, a too great abundance of rain, and at others, fevere and parching droughts prove great calamities. These are felt much more feverely in fome parts of the earth, than with us, and often produce famine and peftilence. Storms alfo, tornadoes, earthquakes, and the bursting of volcanoes, are many times great judgments upon men, and bring great numbers in a moment to their graves.

Befides, a very large proportion of the earth itself is forever almoft or entirely wafte, as to any productions for the ufe of man or beaft. This is true of all the countries which lie far up to the north, and of the fandy deserts of Africa and Arabia. And how much of the world is alfo covered with rough mountains, which, fo far as we can fee, are of no direct

wound we receive, and all the complaints and decays of old age are of this nature. Thefe are univerfal: there is no one who does not drink of this cup, in a degree which is quite uncomfortable. Millions groan under thefe af

ufe to the happiness of man? Of the remaining parts of the earth, much is comparatively barren, and it is with much toil, that a little increase is obtained. The hufbandman alfo, in many places, finds his labors increased by the ftones of the field, and other inflictions for many years, without cumbrances in the way of cultivation. All these things are the curfe that has fallen upon the earth-the thorns and thistles it produces. The face of nature is overspread with them, and the earth does not yield its ftrength.

I am fenfible that fome, who would reprefent every thing as defigned for our prefent happiness, have faid, that the extremities of the feafons, ftorms, deferts and the other evils mentioned, are ne ceffary to health and fruitfulness. But this wants evidence. Gentle winds purify the air, as well as ftorms and tornadoes. Countries lefs liable to the extremities of heat and cold, are as productive, as those which endure them. Regions without craggy and inacceffible mountains, and barren deferts, are as healthy as those which have them. The comparative barrenness of most parts of the earth, and the obftacles to cultivation, are faid to have a tendency to happiness, as a check upon immorality. But if mankind were not finners, no fuch checks would be needed. There is in nature no need of any of these evils. Their real ufe feems only to be, to anfwer the purpose of thorns and thiftles to produce the fweat of the face, and caufe men to eat of the fruit of the ground in forrow, all the days of their lives.

reasonable expectation that they fhall ever find relief, fo long as they remain in the body. These are fore evils, are of no direct use to our happiness, and we cannot regard them as any thing but thorns and punishments.

Another clafs of evils are the troubles, difappointments, and anguish of heart, which we fuffer in our minds, from various causes. All the fhame, grief, anxiety, fear, and terror which we endure, are of this kind. Could we look through the world and unlock ev ery human heart, we fhould doubt. lefs find that there is a very great fum total of this kind of forrow. No individual escapes it and many are quite overborne. There is no fmall number who die of a bro ken heart. "The spirit of a man will fuftain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear."

The evils which grow out of fociety, in its prefent ftate, are another dreadful clafs of thorns and thiftles, which introduce wretchednefs among mankind. How much mifery is caused by the contentions which take place in families? Their peace is in terrupted or deftroyed, and they embitter each other's lives. What vexations are occafioned by feuds among neighbors, by tu mults in countries, and wars among contending nations? Scarce Among the number of thefe an individual efcapes thefe mifethorns and thistles may be alfo reck-ries, however peaceable and beneoned, all the fickneffes, infirmities ficent he may be himself. The and bodily pains, to which men hiftories of nations prefent us with are liable in this world. Every but a small part of the calamities

which arife from contentions a- | And could not God have made all

mong men; few of a private nature are recorded, and very little in detail, of thofe which are more public; yet hiftory in general, is little more than a record of the calamities produced by contentions in fociety.

And finally, death follows the train of thefe calamities, and clofes the scene in a moft awful manner. What countless myriads die! Thus the world is overspread with miferies. They produce an incalculable fum of woe--are thorns and thistles in very deed.

We fhall now proceed to ob. serve, that these evils are a teftimony, inftamped on the very face of nature, that there is a controverfy between God and man.

countries habitable, the feafons always temperate, with an agreeable variety, the whole earth fruitful as Eden,-kept off ficknefs, forrow, feuds and calamities, and given eternal youth and immortal activity to man? No doubt he could. This feems to have been, at leaft in all things neceffary to human happinefs, the original state of the world.

The inftances we have of comfort in this world, ferve to make a ftronger impreffion on our minds, of the evils which are the confe quences of the fall of man. They give us an opportunity to compare our innumerable calamities, with the bleffings, which we might have had, if there had been no fin, nor curfe. And they demonftrate, that there is in the nature of things, no impoffibility to our enjoying all these comforts for ever, without any intermiffion, unlefs by an agreeable variety. This idea is confirmed by the confideration, that fuch bleffedness was really given in the first state of the world. And there is no doubt but an infinitely good God would have continued it, in case there had been no apoftacy. Such a ftate as this, at leaft, fo far as it refpects perfect happiness, without any alloy of evil, will be given to the righteous in the future world. Therefore, when God has brought fo many evils into this world, they must certainly be confidered as evident tokens of his difpleasure. And this is put beyond all controverfy by the things faid to Adam, when God called him to an account for eating the forbidden fruit. And thefe evils can be efily account

It has been already noticed, that these evils were not neceffary to nature, and did not take place in the ftate in which it was originally created. The firft addrefs of God to fallen man, teaches us how they come, and that they are tokens of God's difpleafure. But that it may be fufficiently plain to all, that they are not evils neceffary to nature, let a few facts be noticed. There are inftances in which the earth produces fpontaneously, without cultivation, more or lefs of every thing which we need. If I do not miftake, wheat is produced, in fmall quantities, in Siberia, without fowing or cultivation. There are inftances in all countries, of great fertility in one place, compared with another. There are climates where the feafons are temperate, and there are times in all countries, when the temperature is agreeable. There are people, who are in health and pleasure;-inftances of harmony and love in fociety, a fea-ed for on thefe principles alone. fon of youth and sprightlinefs,

When therefore, we feel an ex

and countries which are habitable. tremity in the feafons,fee any

1

Further: When we fee divine providence addreffing every individual, by fo many meffengers, and teaching the fame leffon, have we not reafon to conclude that it is an important leffon for us? It furely is. The word of God explains its importance, acquaints us that there is a way of efcape provided from the curfe of the law, and fhows the way. The language therefore of all these admonitions to us, who have the gofpel, is this; " Agree with thine adverfary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him.". They call upon us to close the controverfy, by fubmiffion, repentance, and faith in Chrift. They are fent to fummon us to attend to the gofpel. They are merciful difpenfations, to perfuade us to improve our day of probation. They are prophets, which in the name of God, denounce our final deftruction, unlefs we make our peace with him. Every barren heath has a ufe as great, and is it not as obvious, as the use of the moft fertile plain ?

barren heath,-poifonous reptiles cy, and never leave us until death. -inundations-earthquakes--tornadoes or craggy mountains, we fhould always confider them as the meffengers of God, fent to admonish us, that he views us as finners. They can be confidered justly in no other light. What ever other ends they may poffibly anfwer, unknown to us, they have now no other apparent ufe as they refpect us. So alfo every pain of body, or anxiety of mind we feel, or know to be in others,—all the innumerable difeafes, wounds and infirmities which are in the world, -every old man we meet with, under the decays of age,-every difappointment and inquietude, fhould remind us, that God has a controversy with the world. Thefe are all preachers, fent to announce it to us. All call upon us, especially upon us who have the gofpel, to make our peace with God.-In the fame manner, all the feuds, contentions and wars which take place in the world, and all the evils which attend them, are not only inftances of human depravity, but teftimonies of divine difpleafure. They admonish us, that God is offended, and gives us up to be our own tormentors. And every funeral we attend, is an emphatical lecture on the fame fubject. What a multitue of preachers have we on this point! We meet them in all places--Never can we rid ourselves of them. All fpeak the fame thing, and addrefs us continually, whether we will hear, or whether we will forbear. Tho' we ftop our ears, or fhut our eyes, they reach our nerves, and speaked at heart.-And when we rein every pain, in every fear, and flect that mankind pay fo little in every inquietude. It is in vain attention to this world of preachto change our country, they ers, which apply to all our feelwould follow us to the ends of ings, as well as to our ears,— the earth. They begin in infan- when we find that the natural

f

Again: Since God, in addition to his written word, fends all these meffengers, muft it not fuggeft to us, that he thinks we have real need of them? He does not fuppofe that we are so easy to be convinced of our depravity, of our oppofition to God, of his holy displeasure against us, and of the importance of our reconciliation to him, that lefs means will wake our attention, and perfuade us to repent and believe on Chrift. He confiders us entirely deprav

fools and without excufe, that UPON reflection, I found ev