It is

are taken." The righteous," fays Solomon, "fhall be recompenfed in the earth, much "more the wicked and the finner." evident that Solomon does not speak of heaven, or eternal falvation, but of the afflictions and chastisements which God, as the Supreme Judge, difpenfes to his children in this life, either to prove or correct them: "The righteous fhall be recompensed in the “earth.” And if God chastises even good men in this life, to correct their fins, and lead them on to perfection, much more will the wicked and the finner feel the feverity of his judgments.

And this is agreeable to God's eternal decree, who will give to every man according to his work. Not indeed always in this life; for he fometimes, for wife reasons, fuffers the way of the wicked to profper, and triumphant guilt to infult over injured innocence. But, fooner or later, they will feel the vengeance of a juft God: for though to us fhort-fighted mortals the execution of his judgments may seem to be delayed; yet to Him, whose eyes reach to the remoteft confequences of action, and to whom a thousand years are but as one day,

the

the crime and its punishment are equally prefent, and fucceed each other in that wife and juft order which he hath appointed, who can

not err.

The

Nor let the righteous repine, though it be their lot to be afflicted and mourn. Captain of their falvation was made perfect through fufferings, and the fervant must not expect to be above his Lord. Nor let them be dejected, though their fufferings be many; or despair of entering into glory, though it be through much tribulation. For though they fhall fcarcely be faved, yet they shall surely be faved; though, like the Ifraelites of old, the fea is before them, and the hostile bands of Egypt darken their rear; though "they

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are entangled in the land," and the mountains of Pi-hahiroth have fhut them in; yet the God of Ifrael is able to divide the waves, and "to lead the children whom he has re"deemed to the promised land; to guide "them in his ftrength to his holy habita"tion." To Him, therefore, let them ever "commit their fouls in well-doing, as unto

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a faithful Creator," who will preserve and raise them up at the last great day to life everlasting.

SERMON LII.

PSALM Xciv. 7.

They murder the widow and the franger, and put the fatherless to death: and yet they say, Tufh! the Lord fhall not fee, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

N the beginning of this pfalm, the author,

IN

addreffing himself to God, to whom vengeance belongeth, gives us a pathetic picture of the deplorable condition to which the Ifraelites were reduced by the infolence, injuftice, and impiety of their heathen invaders. -"They fmite down thy people," fays he, "O Lord, and trouble thine heritage: they

murder the widow and the ftranger, and

* Some commentators think that this pfalm refers to the wickedness committed in the court of Saul, or to the injuftice of the kings and judges in later ages.Vide Patrick, &c.

1

put

the fatherlefs to death."-Thou fuffereft them to commit every outrage with impunity, to profper in wickedness, and triumph in the midst of their unparalleled guilt: and now, behold, what are the fruits of this lenity and forbearance? what conclufions do they draw from this long-fuffering of the Almighty, which prompts him to spare their crimes, and delay the avenging stroke of justice?" Tufh," fay they," the Lord * fhall not fee, neither fhall the God of Jacob re"gard it."-We have been fo long fuffered to go on in fin without any vifible mark of divine difpleasure, that it is now very clear to us, that the Almighty feeth not our guilt, neither doth the God of Jacob regard it.

..

To correct, therefore, fo foolish and dangerous an opinion, the Prophet goes on to address himself to them in this just and folemn reproof:-" Take heed, ye unwife

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among the people: O ye fools, when "will ye understand? He that planted the ear, fhall he not hear? Or he that made "the eye, fhall he not fee? Or he that nur"tureth the heathen, it is he that teacheth man knowledge, fhall not he punish ?"

*Cannot. Green.

And