O DOMESTIC CHAPLAIN. THE BY THOMAS WILLIAMS. "O foolish man, to reply against Divine Sovereignty! It is cutting the cords of human -Strong. HARTFORD. SPALDING AND STORRS. 1839. "That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ?"—Gen- esis, XVIII. 25. I X. "And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.-Genesis, "For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not with- "And Isaac brought her unto his mother Sarah's tent and took Rebekah and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was "Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you and be ye clean and change your garments; and let us arise and go to Bethel and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress and was with me in the way which I went."-Genesis, xxxv. 2, 3. "And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said unto them, I have sinned this time; the Lord is righteous; and I and my "And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire and there came out Sanctify yourselves, therefore; and be ye holy; for I am the Lord your God. And ye shall keep my statutes and do them: I am the THE DOMESTIC CHAPLAIN. I. CREATION. And God saw every thing that he had made; and, behold, it was very good. GENESIS, I. 35. As God proceeded, in the creation and formation of the heaven and the earth, it is said six times, in view of a distinct part of the work, that he saw "it was good." When the whole work was done, it is said, "God saw every thing that he had made; and, behold, it was very good." The subject, which is now before us, is the work of God in creation. 1. The nature of this work may engage our attention. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." He caused all things from nothing. He did not form the heaven and the earth from any substance, which had existed in some other mode. Nor did they grow into form and order, after he had created their substance. But God created the substance of all things from nothing, by the word of his power. And then he formed all things, by the acts of his will, from the substance which he had made. Uncreated and created existence are the only beings, which, in the nature of things, are possible. A third kind of existence, which should be neither uncreated, nor created, is impossible, |