"They do not like to retain God in their knowledge," the language of whose hearts towards God is, "Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways?"

4. It follows from what has been said, that God is a perfectly happy being. The Scriptures have much to say of the blessedness of God. He is "the blessed and only Potentate." He is over all, God blessed for ever." And from the view we have taken of the Divine character, it follows that he must be blessed. He has infinite sources of blessedness within himself. "He is good, and he doeth good." He knows that his character is one of infinite, unspotted, and unchangeable goodness; and the consciousness of this is a source of happiness to him, of which no other being in the universe can form any conception.

God knows, too, that in eternity he formed the best and wisest plan of providence-a plan susceptible of no improvement, and needing no change; and he has the satisfaction of seeing this great and glorious plan going into complete effect. No enemy can ever thwart or defeat it. No unforeseen casualty can arise to interrupt it. God's "counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure." He worketh all things in providence after the counsel of his own blessed will. Evils, to be sure, exist under the government of God, which his benevolent heart cannot contemplate without grief; but as these evils are every one of them incidental, in some way, to the greatest possible good, and are suffered to exist because of that good; so the grief which God feels in view of them is but incidental-incidental, in some way, to his own highest happiness. What I mean to say is, that God is happier, on the whole, with them, than he could be without them; happier in the existing order of things, notwithstanding its incidental evils, than he could be in any other; because he knows that the present plan of providence is, on the whole, the best, the most glorious to himself, and the most blessed and happy for the universe. He has, therefore, an infinite satisfaction in it, as a whole; and while he sees the great wheel of his providence rolling on in its appointed course, and everything taking place, in this world and in all worlds, according to the counsels of his blessed will, he is supremely and for ever happy. On this ground, it is easy to vindicate the everlasting blessedness of the Supreme Being. But on no other ground, of which I have any knowledge, is such a vindication possible.

5. It results from the principles which have been established, that it is an unspeakable privilege to live under the government of God. There are multitudes, I know, both in this world and in other worlds, who do not thus regard it. They resist and oppose the government of God. The language of their hearts is:

"We do not like to retain God in our knowledge. Let us break his bands asunder, and cast away his cords from us." But this strange and unnatural rebellion against the government of God is no evidence of its imperfection, and no proof that it is not a privilege-an unspeakable privilege-to live under it. Is it not a privilege to be the child of a great, and wise, and good parent here on the earth, one who protects and controls his household faithfully, and orders all their affairs with kindness and discretion? Is it not a privilege to live under a good government in this world, one that is wisely constituted, and faithfully administered, where the interests of the subjects are protected and promoted, and all the ends of government are secured? And, though some of the subjects may be displeased with such a government, and may try to overthrow it, is this any valid argument against it? But if it is a privilege to be subject to a good father on earth, how much more to have an infinitely better Father in heaven? If it is a privilege to be blessed with a good government here, how much more to be under a perfect government, and the only perfect government in the universe? What a privilege unspeakable, to have our life and breath, our powers and faculties, our friends, our interests, and all our destinies, in the hands of One, who can make no mistakes, who can do no wrong thing, who will be sure to order everything in wisdom and in goodness, and whose benevolent designs no enemy can ever interrupt or defeat? This privilege, my friends, is ours; and it is our own fault if we do not know it, and rejoice in it. It is our own fault if this thought is not to each one of us, under all circumstances, whether of light or darkness, prosperity or adversity, joy or sorrow, a source of unspeakable and everlasting consolation.

6. If what has been said is true, then to oppose God, in any form-to hate his character, resist his government and transgress his laws, must be both unreasonable and dreadful.-Why should any moral, intelligent being be displeased with the character of God? Is it not a holy character? Is it not a perfect character? We have seen that it is all comprised in love; that it is a character of infinite and unchangeable goodness To hate it is, therefore, to hate goodness itself. It is to be displeased with that which is the perfection of moral excellence and glory.

And why should any rise up against the government of God? Has he not a right to reign? Are we not absolutely his creatures, and has he not a right to do what he will with his own? And is not his government wise and good? In all its departments, is it not characterized by infinite wisdom, and infinite goodness, and infinite and absolute perfection?

And then as to the law of God; is it not a perfectly good law? It is all comprised in love; supreme love to God, and

"Thou shalt love the

impartial love to the creatures of God. Lord thy God with all thy heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and thy neighbor as thyself." Now who can urge the slightest objection against such a law as this; or assign any good reason why he should not obey it?

And not only is opposition to God, in every form which it ever assumes, in the highest degree unreasonable, it is also dreadful dreadful, I mean, in its bearing on those who persist in it. In the course they are pursuing, the incorrigible enemies of God have absolutely nothing to hope for, but everything to fear. They sometimes hope in the goodness of God; but his very goodness will arm his power against them. They have really more to fear from God, than though he was not good. For if God was not good, his enemies might have some reason on their side, and some ground of hope in their opposition; but now no such hope remains. Besides, if God was not good, he might peradventure be swayed from the path of right, and be inAuced to favor them in their wicked designs; but such a ground of hope is now impossible. The holiness, the goodness, the perfection of the Supreme Being, connected with his obligations as a Sovereign, bind him to pursue the workers of iniquity with a steady hand, and to overwhelm them-unless they repent-with an utter and an endless ruin. Let, then, the impenitent and the ungodly take warning. Let them not further presume upon the goodness, the patience, the forbearance of Jehovah. Let them not dare the Almighty to the conflict, and venture "upon the thick bosses of his buckler."

The character of God, as it has been here exhibited, is calculated to give us the most exalted conceptions of heaven. For heaven is the very metropolis of God's unbounded empire; the palace, the presence-chamber of the great King.

God is no more really present in heaven, than he is on earth, or in any other place or world; but he is more sensibly present. It is there that he manifests himself most peculiarly and graciously. It is there, in a special manner, that he shows forth his glory. And it is this that endears heaven to all its blissful and glorified inhabitants. It is this, in fact, which constitutes heaven. The language of every heart in that upper world is that of the devoted Psalmist : "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" "In thy -presence is fullness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore."

"Not all the harps above

Can make a heavenly place,
If God his residence remove,
Or but conceal his face."

But from the glorified inhabitants of heaven, God never does conceal his face a moment. For the trial of his people, he sometimes hides his face from them in this world, but never in heaven. His presence and his glory beam forth there-a sun without any dark spots-one clear, unclouded, and eternal day, and all his people rejoice in him, with a joy unspeakable and full of glory.

My beloved hearers, are we prepared to go there? Are we prepared, in the spirit and temper of our minds, to participate in those heavenly joys? Has the love of God been shed abroad in our hearts? Do we delight in his character, and rejoice in his government, and endeavor to do the things that please him, here on the earth? Is it the language of our hearts even here, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" "Lord, lift thou upon me the light of thy countenance?" In short, has heaven begun with us here below? It must be begun here, in order to be consummated there. It must be begun here, or never. Let no one who hears me be deceived. Let no one trust to an unfounded hope, or consent to live without hope and without God in the world.

BY REV. JONATHAN BRACE,

PASTOR OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, MILFORD, Conn.

RELIGIOUS DECISION.

My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.-Psalms, 57, 7.

SUCH was the impassioned exclamation of David; and it should be the language of every regenerated soul. Every professing Christian should have the same deliberate firm, purpose. No one pretending to be on the Lord's side should doubt whether he is there, or give others reason to suppose that he has a divided mind. Having clearly apprehended duty, he should come to a full, unshaken decision to do it. On this point, there should be no hesitancy; it should be settled for ever. Adopting the exclamation of the Psalmist as his own, he should say "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed."

Religious Decision, this is our subject: which will be presented under two inquiries.

I. On what was David's heart fixed?
II. Why should ours be thus fixed?

I. On what was David's heart fixed?

1. It was fixed on the supreme choice of God and his service. Mankind, at their introduction into existence, are presented with two distinct objects of choice. Their Creator and the world, both solicit their affections. To one or the other of these, the heart is freely given. It is impossible that the heart should be given to both. There is but one commanding, supreme choice of the soul. There is but one throne in the heart, and the Most High and the world cannot both be upon it. David, though he, in common with his fallen race, naturally chose the world at first, afterwards under