the carnal and selfish mind, are oppofed to the moral fenfe and feeling of the rational foul, unworthy of the man, and oppofed to God and the general good. The confcioufnefs of guilt and folly in both, fills the man with distress and anxiety, utterly difappoints his fond pursuit after happiness, and fills him with the dread of future evil; for whenever he fuffers felf reflection, he is compelled to believe that God will bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good or evil. Hence the refult of all his purfuits, "is vapity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation of fpirit." And it appears that "madnefs is in the hearts of the fons of men while they live, and after that they go to the dead." Such is the character and state of man by nature, and therefore the infpired writer proceeds to fay, "I praifed the dead who are already dead, more than the living who are yet alive; yea, better is he than both they, who hath not yet feen the fun or known any thing." The character, enjoyments and profpects of the man who feareth God and keepeth his commandments, are directly the reverse. He embraceth the glory of God and the good of men as his chofen object; is impreffed with a humbling fenfe of his own unworthiness, receives every earthly eomfort, even the fmalleft, as the fovereign gift of the free grace of God through Jefus Chrift; is humble and thankful.-In adverfity he is caft down but not forfaken, for he refts in the living God, with the fatisfying affurance that his dealings are all wife and good, and humbly, but confidently, cafts all his burdens on him, and hopes in his mercy. In profperity he taftes the good of every earthly enjoyment, and is thankful to the Divine Giver for all his own comforts, and for thofe of others; but places his chief delight in God, Chrift, and those objects which are spiritual and divine. Hence he poffeffes the peace and fublime pleasures of Christian friendship, of focial intercourse, and the endearments of family connexions, and all the goods of life, and of Godliness, and finds by fweet experience that "Godlinefs is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come." Thus he attends to the bufinefs, connexions and cares of life, under the influence of fupreme regard to God and good will to man, and in this connexion finds fubftantial fatisfaction in them all, and lafting fpiritual good in the refult. This is truly to enjoy the good of his labor, to "live joyfully with his family, to let his garments be always white, and let his head lack no ointment.' "" In those parts of this book which have paffed in review, the effect is put for the caufe; it is as if the infpired writer had faid, "Men deftitute of the fear of God pursue perfonal and selfish enjoyments, which begin and end in felf, and are oppofed to the government of God and the best good of the moral fyftem; hence they cannot be happy; these great interefts are oppofed to them, all their prospects are vain and empty and neceffarily iffue in vexation of spirit." But the man who feareth God and keepeth his commandments embraceth the highest perfection of the moral fyftem, the glory of God and the good of his kingdom, and knows that all this is made certain under the perfect government of God; he therefore has his defire, and is happy in his connexions, labors and profpects, and even in his forrows. Therefore "fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole of man."-Thus we fee the connexion and harmony of all the parts of this book with each other, and the holy scriptures in general, in the central and fundamental article of all morality, religion, and happiness to man, the love of God and our neighbor, and therefore the preceding interpretation must be right. CONCLUSION. An attentive perufal of this book clearly evinceth its claim to a place in the facred canon. It contains an excellent fyftem of Christian morality. Not indeed as exhibiting a very particular revelation of the mediatorial fyftem, this was referved for other, and especially later, infpired writers of the holy feriptures. But it contains that fyftem of ethics, no where to be found except in the facred writers, or in those authors who learned it from them. None of the philofophers ever difcovered and published it.-Compared with this, their best compofitions are only words at random. The book which has paffed in review, reveals the infinite perfection of the only living and true God, difplayed in his moral and providential government over man; and clearly points out the whole duty of man as a moral being, confifting in union to God and his kingdom, or in fearing God and keeping his commandments; and fhews that this is not only the duty, but the happiness of man, and the only path of life which leads to personal and genc• ral happiness, and will iffue in it, and that all the ways of fin tend to mifery, here and hereafter, and will iffue in it. Finally, it declares the finfulness and mifery of man, and the final judgment and retributions of eternity; and thus teaches the neceffity of the mediatorial fyftem of grace, and points us to it. The mode of teaching in this book is indeed peculiar, by which it is adapted to excite our diligent attention and humble inquiry. Let us treasure up its precious inftructions in our hearts, and practife them in our lives. Let the man of the world, the voluptuary, the freethinker and the philofopher, bow to the inftructions of heavenly wisdom, and learn that system of divine morality no where to be found but in divine revelation, embrace it in their hearts, and reduce it to practice. In this way only, will they find relief from the numerous and never-ending perplexities and vexations which attend them in all their purfuits. An appeal may be most readily made to the characters just mentioned, if they do not find in their hours of felf reflection that all their pursuits after happiness, in any other way, are attended with difappointment, and iffue in vanity and vexation of spirit.—This book and the holy fcriptures in general, exhibit a fyftem of morals and scheme of happiness, which will bear the most fevere fcrutiny of reafon and philofophy, and is fanctioned by the experience of the wifeft and beft men who ever lived in our world. What has the man of the world to risk in the experiment of this only way to happiness which the wife and good of all ages have trodden ?-This prefent courfe of life is full of vanity and vexation of fpirit, and its final iffue cannot everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." It is evident therefore, that the wicked are in a very dangerous and unhappy fituation, and that they cannot enjoy any real peace or happi| nefs. Accordingly it is declared by Jehovah, that "There is no peace to the wicked." fail of hopeless mifery. Should this fail him at the laft, he could lofe nothing in the end, and he would be happy while here. But it cannot fail. It refts on the ftable foundation of the per*fection and government of God; on the immutable nature of good and evil, and the clear and abundant teftimony of divine revela 'tion. Ifai. lvii. 21. "There is no peace, Ifcriptures, that mankind are To illuftrate the truth of this divine declaration in fome particulars, it may be observed, 1. That they can have no peace with God. For the fcriptures declare, that they are " enemies to God"-that "the carnal mind is enmity against him," and that "they hate both the Father and the Son." They also declare, that divided into two distinct classes; which are denominated righteous" God is angry with the wicked and wicked, faints and finners, holy every day-that his foul hateth and unholy, the friends and enemies them, and that he will render to of Chrift, thofe who are born of them indignation and wrath." God, and thofe who are dead in fin. To one of thefe claffes belongs every individual of the human race. For it is evident, that every one must be either holy or unholy, a friend or enemy to the divine character. Accordingly the Lord Jefus declares, "He, that is not with me, is againft me." To the righteous are made many great and precious promifes. It is declared, that they are the children and heirs of God-that "all things fhall work together for their good," and that "their light afflictions, which are but for a moment, fhall work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." But against the wicked are denounced the most dreadful evils and threatenings. It is declared, that "they are curfed, when they go cut, and when they come in"-that "they are condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on them, and that they fhall go away into Thus there is no peace between God and the wicked. For while they are thus at variance with the infinite God, the great fource of all good, or oppofed to his glorious character, and under his wrath and carfe; it is certain, that they can enjoy no true peace. 2. There is no peace between the wicked and the divine law. They are opposed to the law both in its requirements and penalties. They view it as being too ftrict and rigid in requiring us at all times to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbor as ourselves; and especially in condemning for every tranfgreffion, and threatening eternal death, as the juft wages of every fin. Thus they are at heart opposed to God's holy law, and living in difobedience and rebellion againft it. This law alfo condemns them for all their numerous fins. All its curfes and penalties ftand in full force against them, and are ready to fall upon them, and fink them down to remedilefs deftruction. There is therefore | in fome degree, when perfons are no peace to the wicked with the divine law. They are opposed to its requirements and penalties, and are under its condemning fentence. awakened by the spirit of God to form a juft fense of their state and character. And it will be more efpecially the cafe with the wicked in the future world, and at the day of final judgment; when their confciences will be perfectly awake, and all their fins will be fet in full view before them, with all their heinous aggravations. Then, as the fcriptures declare, their mouths will be fhut, and their confciences will fill them with un their great wickedness and folly. This will be "their worm that dieth not." Thus the wicked can have no true peace; for whenever confcience is awake, as it certainly will be fooner or later, it will occafion them great horror and remorfe. And if any are now eafy and careleís in their impenitence, it is because their confcien ces are ftupefied, and lulled by fin to a most dangerous fecurity. 3. There is no peace between the wicked and the gospel. For the gofpel as really requires holinefs, or fupreme love to God, and a difinterested affection for our fel. low creatures, as does the law. Yea, it fupports and juftifies the law, and requires our cordial approbation of it in order to falva-utterable horror and anguish for tion. The gospel alfo dooms the impenitent to everlafting deftrue. tion, as really as the law does. For it declares, that " except we repent, we shall all perifh"-that thofe, "who believe not, fhall be damned," and that "the Lord Jefus, when revealed from heaven in flaming fire, will take vengeance on them that obey not the gofpel, who fhall be punished with everlafting deftruction. And there is not, in the whole gofpel, one promife of final fafety, made to the impenitent. Thus the gofpel in its requirements and penalties as much croffes the unholy temper of the wicked, as really dooms them to eternal mifery, as does the law itself. The impenitent therefore are as really oppofed to the gofpel, as to the law; and they no more love and obey the one, than the other. 4. The wicked can have no true peace of confcience, while they are thus in a ftate of impenitence and condemnation. Their confciences, when awake, muft condemn them for their oppofition against God, againft his holy law and gofpel of grace, and muft fill them with a painful fenfe of their fin and folly, and with dreadful apprehenfions of future wrath and mifery. This is always the cafe VOL. IV. No. 10. 5. The wicked have nothing to afford any real fatisfaction or peace to the foul. They are feeking. their happinefs in worldly objects and enjoyments. But thefe are fading, and cannot, while poffeffed, fatisfy the vaft defires of the immortal mind. Thefe enjoy ments are alfo precarious and difappointing-attended with many troubles and vexations, and at fartheft will foon be gone forever. Thus the wicked, who are seeking their happinefs from worldly objects, have nothing which can yield the foul any real peace, or fatisfy its boundless defires. Efpecially they have nothing to afford any fubftantial peace or fupport under the many evils and troubles of life. "Man is born to trouble, as the fparks fly upward" While we fojourn here in this vale of tears, we are cons A a a tinually expofed to numerous pains, tinually liable by the ftroke of fickneffes, loffes, forrows and dif- death to be ftripped of every appointments. But as the wick-comfort-are fwiftly advancing ed are seeking their happiness from towards the grave-muft foon bid the things of this world, thefe af- an eternal adieu to all those obfictions ftrike at the very founda-jects, which they are seeking as tion of all their comforts. For take away the world, and what have they more? When therefore they are vifited with forrows and calamities, or croffed in their purfuits and expectations, what have they to yield fupport and confolation? fince they have no God as a friend, and no treasures in heaven. And if they look forward into the future world, inftead of finding any fource of comfort, they have reason to fear, that their prefent troubles are but the beginning of forrow. How gloomy and unhappy then the fituation of the wicked under diftreffing calamities and afflictions, fince they have nothing to afford them any fubftantial peace or fupport? their chief good-appear at the bar of their Judge, and receive that final fentence, which will doom them, if they remain impenitent, to everlafting woe and defpair. How will fuch reflections dampen the pleasures of the wicked, caft a gloom on their worldly joys and profpects, and fill them with the most painful apprehenfions? Thus they can have no juft ground of peace, when they reflect upon these folemn truths. And how unfpeakably wretched muft be their situation in the awful hour of death? What miserable comforters will earthly objects be in this trying scene, when fuffering the pangs of diffolving nature, taking their last fad farewell of all earthly friends and enjoyments, juft going to meet the frowns of their Almighty Judge, and receive their eternal doom? Did they poffefs the whole world, could it afford any ease to the diftreffed body, or any confolation to the departing foul? Surely then there can be no peace in this diftreffing fcene to the wickedto thofe, who have not Jefus for a friend, and and have no treasure in heaven. But the most dreadful anguifh and despair must overwhelm them, if they have any juft fenfe of their situation. 6. They have no juft ground of peace and confolation, when reflecting upon the fhortnefs and uncertainty of life, and upon the folemn fcenes of death and the eternal world. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." We know, that we are haftening to the grave -are continually expofed to the ftroke of death, and at fartheft must foon go hence and be ftripped of all our earthly poffeffions and enjoyments. We are frequently reminded of thefe folemn truths by fickness and the death of others, as well as by the word of God. Unless ftupid as the brutes, thefe reflections will often crowd into our minds. But how pain-world. For it is declared, that ful must be fuch reflections to the wicked, who are feeking their happiness from the world, and have no treasures in heaven? How gloomy to refle&, they are con Laftly: There will be no peace to the wicked in the eternal "God will render to them indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguifh-that the Lord Jefus, when he fhall be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, will take |