the economy of infinite love, hearts break, and bleeds secre widows, and children orphans ;—that aside from the rinary press f dissolution, there should be so many violent and sudden seperations!

that

"The flower which blooms to day.

To-morrow, dies!

All that we wish to stay,

Tempts, and then flies!"

I would, therefore, have you study the principles of Got feel that you are in his world, and under his laws; and that he a sear you in every event.

"THY WAY IS IN THE SEA."

Commentators speak of the terms “sea” and “great wan' I t verse, as emblematic of the mystery of God—the darkness of the concealment of his reasons. Says Henry, upon the par “ although God is holy, just and good, in all he does, yet we se an account of the reasons of his proceedings." The view the same. I cannot fully agree with these good auf en e believing, as I must do, that the context is a literal de scene attending the escape of the Israelites from E There was the vision of the waters—their fear and tr of thunder—the lightning and the rain-the trembling 2 the path—the deliverance! But you will judge fr proceed to unfold the text, which will be considered —THE PATH OF GOD!—Of which I would say—

I. IT IS THE PATH OF LIGHT.

It is known to God. He walks not in darknes naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom w is never in uncertainty. Not a hand-breath of from him. Even the uncreated—the possible is He reveals to his people the sole, the worthy, way.—My glory will I not give to another, is why? Not because of an arbitrary, reasonle

act would fill the universe with woe and shame to any number of finite minds the govern they could not sustain it, neither could ther task, for they must be for ever finite. N great, the mazes into which their wisdom

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must know something of the divine works and character, and realize his affinity to the creation of which he is a part. Ignorance and neglect of such lessons are always dangerous, often criminal in the extreme. Look at Napoleon in his career of conquests!—then on his solitary isle!and ask what was his history? He came forth upon the world like a blazing, withering star!-moving in the region of possibilities! There was nothing apparent-nothing probable in his career! In the field he was great. There he could plan and execute,—there the world gazed on him in breathless amaze! But when he attempted to rise up into the statesman, when he aimed at supremacy over the moral power of the nations, and tried to blend the sacred with the profane, the divine with the human, and to lift himself to the controul of the monstrous union, his wisdom staggered, his power left him, and he was like—

"The idiot, gazing in the brook,

Who leaped at stars, and lodged himself in mud.”

And why? Because he put himself in the place of God-scorning the equality which nature teaches, and forgetting the supreme, he rashly stepped beyond the circle of his own powers and prerogatives, into a region where a law too mighty for him was at work, and where even submission was useless; he must have receded from his position to be saved. His mistake was not merely an endeavour to bring the age to himself, but to conquer a law, which is as truly divine as any other, and therefore instinct with power-that a creature can be only relatively great. He knew not to what he had opposed himself, but he knows it now! You will see the pertinence of this allusion as we proceed.

Without dwelling on all the facts that might be mentioned relative to the recent disasters at sea, I will state that in addition to the thousand seamen, soldiers, convicts and passengers, lost in the gales of November 1842, on and near the English coasts, there were at the same time ten total wrecks on the Baltic, and thirty on the Black Sea, by which numbers of sailors were drowned; and that during the past week 900 more of our fellow-men have perished almost in view of their country and firesides! In a single night, according to Lloyd's list, more than 400 mortals were buried alive" in the sea! The number of total wrecks already heard of is 180. The crews of 50 of these were saved. It is my purpose now to present a few thoughts for the bereaved and others present, who may be asking themselves and friends,-" why is it so?-why does God permit such calamities?" You wonder that under

the economy of infinite love, hearts break, and bleed ;-wives become widows, and children orphans ;-that aside from the ordinary process of dissolution, there should be so many violent, and sudden separations! that

"The flower which blooms to day,

To-morrow, dies!

All that we wish to stay,

Tempts, and then flies!"

I would, therefore, have you study the principles of God's government; feel that you are in his world, and under his laws; and that he is near you in every event.

Commentators speak of the terms "sea" and "great waters" in this verse, as emblematic of the mystery of God—the darkness of his way— the concealment of his reasons. Says Henry, upon this passage-"although God is holy, just and good, in all he does, yet we cannot give an account of the reasons of his proceedings." The view of Scott is the same. I cannot fully agree with these good and great men, believing, as I must do, that the context is a literal description of the scene attending the escape of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. There was the vision of the waters-their fear and trouble-the voice of thunder-the lightning and the rain-the trembling of the earth— the path-the deliverance! But you will judge for yourselves, as I proceed to unfold the text, which will be considered under the title of -THE PATH OF GOD!-Of which I would say—

I. IT IS THE PATH OF LIGHT.

It is known to God. He walks not in darkness. "All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." He is never in uncertainty. Not a hand-breath of his empire is concealed from him. Even the uncreated—the possible is in his sight!

He reveals to his people the sole, the worthy, the infinite reasons of his way.-My glory will I not give to another, is his awful declaration. And why? Not because of an arbitrary, reasonless will, but because the very act would fill the universe with woe and shame. Were he to surrender to any number of finite minds the government of his commonwealth, they could not sustain it, neither could they ever be capacitated for the task, for they must be for ever finite. Nay, the burden would be so great, the mazes into which their wisdom must penetrate so intricate

and dark, that they would in the misery of their impotence, beseech him to resume the trust. And who has a right to a dignity which he cannot maintain? What but infinite love and wisdom can justly lay claim to infinite dominion, and to the glory of it?

God illustrates his attributes. These must be known that his glory may be acknowledged. His power and justice awaken fears-his wisdom calls forth veneration-his mercy and grace inspire love—his truthfulness secures faith-and all claim our worship. There is no moral happiness without a knowledge of God—no holy, filial love. Love is not originally the informant of the understanding. How can we love what we know not at all? An object must be apprehended, its qualities must be perceived, before it can secure complacency. When love and knowledge are possessed together, they act reciprocally, and thus increase; and the former becomes an evidence of the latter, yet the latter unless it be heart-felt and vital, and not merely intellectual, may exist

alone.

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In the glory of God, therefore, and the illustration of his attributes, and, consequently, the welfare of the universe, is embraced the especial good of the individual. And this truth is plainly revealed. maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just, and on the unjust." Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." And does not every child of God deserve and need chastisement? What was the language of Job, after his unparalleled sufferings? "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent as in dust and ashes." Listen to the Psalmist—“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word.” And to Paul-" Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory?" Are not these reasons so plainly revealed, sufficient? If God only can reign, his government is right. If he only possesses love adequate to the control of omnipotent power, what right have we to talk of his concealment? What mortal or immortal shall say that God is arbitrary, and acts without a revealed reason? He might justly withhold it. But he does not. He knows its power as a motive to obedience. He feels the tenderness of a father, and tells us why he

causes us to mourn.

The text illustrates the sentiment thus advanced. The Psalmist turns to the past for relief from the present. He dwells with joy upon what God had done for his people, and especially upon the wonderful mani

festations of mercy and wrath at the opening of the Red Sea. The poor captives saw no way of escape from servitude. All before them was mystery. But God had a way-and that was in the sea! It was previously unknown, but the event revealed itself. When the sea opened, and the wall of waters stood on either side, the way was visible. The host of Pharaoh rushed blindly on and perished. "The righteous

shall see and rejoice." The wicked "walk on in darkness." His people knew the reasons of their bondage. They had forgotten Godneglected his ordinances-become stiff-necked and rebellious, mingled with the heathen in idolatry. They had been warned by the prophets, but in vain. They felt the power of these reasons, when on their way into bondage again, they hanged their harps upon the willows, and wept at the remembrance of Zion. God led them through the sea because he loved them. He thought of his covenant with their fathers; he showed that his mercy was not clean gone for ever-that he could save and destroy. In this, the christian, the spiritual dispensation, all the wonders of the typical age are brought to light. The "seed of the woman" was yet to" bruise the serpent's head” — the root and the offspring of David" was on his way to the throne----"the bright and morning star" had not yet been revealed; and had those captives perished in bondage, or been drowned in the sea, the designs of sovereign mercy had perhaps, been interrupted, and man had groaned on in darkness and sin. Far be it from me, dear brethren, to attempt to lesson your idea of the mysteriousness of the Divine Being. He is mysterious. We could not be worshippers if he were otherwise. Whilst we know the facts of his attributes and operations, our faith must fasten on the unrevealed. I have no sympathy with the falsehood-" Where mystery begins, devotion ends." Its converse is as near the truth, though it savour strongly of Rome. "Clouds and darkness are round about" the throne of God, but they intimate the mystery of his being, not of his acts of what he can, or will do-of the mode, not of the reasons of his doings. The rainbow that bends over that darkness, sheds a soft and varied light on his economy, though its rays are not bright enough to pierce the mind in which that economy has its birth. There is just enough revealed to us now to furnish us with the elements of progression, without which we cannot be happy-just enough to preserve us from presumption and despair. I would not know what is before me, and I know sufficient of my past history-and God has told me the reasons of its sorrows and its joys. Were all things revealed to us here, eternity would be a blank.