and length, and breadth, is therefore so much the more to be praised. How glorious is his majesty in the superior world, far above all heavens? His great glory confounds the vision of angels, therefore, they cover their faces with their wings, utterly incapable of bearing the brilliant lustre. He is the former, governor, upholder, and director of all the marvelous works, which our eyes behold. When we contemplate the sun, moon and stars, and all the astonishing furniture of our earth, what can we say, only that God, in the greatness of his power, and wonder of his might, has made, and by the greatness of his wisdom, preserves them all.

To impress upon our minds some sense of the divine greatness, we shall, in the briefest manner, consider it under his infinityeternity-omnipotency-immensity-immutability-omniscience

and omnipresence.

First, For a moment contemplate the infinitude of God. He is infinite in his essence, and this is a quality which appertains to all the personalities and perfections of Godhead. The Father is infinite, the Son is infinite, and the Holy Ghost is infinite. All the attributes of Jehovah are infinite. With the strictest propriety may we exclaim and say, "Thou art great, O Lord, and "there is none like thee. There is none like unto the Lord our "God. O Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in hea"ven above, or on earth beneath. Who is like unto thee, O "Lord, amongst the Gods? Who is like unto thee, glorious in "holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders."

Eternity is pro

Secondly, God is great, as he is eternal. perly applicable to God, not only as he is without beginning and without end, but there is no succession or duration with him. Angels and the souls of men are to continue in existence throughout eternity, yet as they are creatures who had a beginning, time, duration and succession, are fitly predicated of them; but not so with God, the simplicity and identity of whose essence admits of no change, increase or diminution; therefore, there can be no

Angels and the saints knowledge, and will be growTherefore, mutation and sucThis is not, neither possibly

All past and all fuThese things shew both that

succession or duration ascribed to him. will be enlarging in their ideas' and ing in happiness forever and ever. cession, are applicable to them. can be, the case with God. His knowledge cannot be increased or lessened, neither can his felicity; hence, no mutation, alteration, succession, or duration can be attributed to him. Age, and years, and time, are not to be applied to him-therefore, his eternity excludes every idea contained in the words duration and succession. He is no older than he was millions of years ago, nor will he be older millions of years to come. Hence he is often styled by divinity writers, an "eternal NOW." turity are ever present before him. he is eternal, and eternally the same. This is beautifully expressed by God himself, when he sent Moses to deliver his people from Egyptian bondage, he should declare to them his name, "I am "that I am, hath sent me unto you." This name I am, in the original, means simple Being, simple existence, or eternal essence. He had been long and abundantly known to the Israelites, by the name of Lord and God, the God of their Fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, &c. Therefore, Moses wished to be able to answer all the enquiries they should put to him, respecting the name, nature, perfections, and essence of the God of their fathers. This is plainly implied in the interrogation of Moses to the Lord. When I shall say to them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they ask me what is his name or nature, how shall I describe it, or what shall I say unto them? To this God replies, in this strong and clear description of his nature and eternal existence, "I am, that I am; and thus shalt thou << say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you." The whole scriptures declare the eternity of Jehovah: "He is "the king eternal, and immortal; the high and lofty one that in"habiteth eternity.” He is stiled the "Eternal God, the ever"lasting Lord. He is the same, and his years shall have no end.

The name of the Lord endureth forever, and the memorial of "him throughout all generations."

I hasten to mention,

Thirdly, The greatness of God appears from his omnipotences He is infinite in power. "Great is the Lord and of great power, "his understanding is infinite. Thou art great, and thy name is "great in might." We read of the thunder of his power, and that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Thus God manifests. his infinite greatness, by his infinite power. He is able to perform all things, except working contradictions; he cannot create an eternal and infinite being; he cannot make the same thing to be and not to be, at the same time. His incapability of perform ing contradictions, is so far from being an impeachment of his omnipotency, that it is an invincible argument in support of it. It is weakness and not power, which works contradictions. Therefore, God's not being able to perform contradictions, to do absolute impossibilities, or produce things not producible, evinces. that he is omnipotent, or infinite in power. The heavens are the works of his fingers, and his hand laid the foundations of the earth. His power is almighty, and altogether irresistable.

Fourthly, The immensity and omnipresence of Jehovah, shew forth his unsearchable greatness. He is every where a present God, he fills all space. There are no possible limits or bounds that can be prescribed for him. These perfections were acknowledged by many of the heathen, who had no other instruction, only what the light of nature afforded; whence says one, "All' "things are full of Jove." And another declares, "That God

passes through all lands and tracts of sea, and the profound "heaven." The holy scriptures, in almost every page, bring these attributes into the view of all intelligences in heaven, earth and hell. Heaven glories in his presence; torment and horror inconceivable, fill hell with his immensity; earth is a middle state, partaking in a measure of both. Some, their extatic raptures are

such, they wish to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord; others, without hope, wish to be rid of their present existence, and plunge into the gulf of uncertainty, "to be or not "to be;" but by the infinitely wise direction of heaven, the great multitude desire a continuance in the condition in which they are, as long as they possibly can, or the omnipresent ruler of all events will allow. God's immensity and omnipresence, fill heaven, and earth, and hell. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit, or whither "shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there; if "I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts "of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, ❝ and not afar off? Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the "Lord?" These things demonstrate the greatness and terribleness of the immensity, ubiquity, and omnipresence of Jehovah. "Thou art the great, the mighty and the terrible God. Thine, "O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory.

I proceed,

With

Lastly, To say, the immutability and omniscience of God transcendently illustrate the unsearchable glory of his greatness. He knoweth all things, and is the Lord who changeth not. him there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning. The immutability of God is both terror to the wicked, and hope to the righteous. Let not the ungodly and profane, vainly imagine that his menaces may be evaded or altered. All his threatnings will as surely be accomplished, as if at this moment they held existence. He will turn the wicked into hell, with all that forget him. And "Cd is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent." Multitudes in this infidel age, believe hell to be only a Popish purgatory-and many, that even this purgatory is nothing. These believe neither the greatness, nor immutability of God. These, in the gross ignorance. K

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of their hearts, and blindness of their minds, foolishly imagine that God is altogether such an one as themselves, veering about like the uncertain wind of their own fancies. But they will find themselves at last eternally disappointed, and eternally tormented. They fashion their mutable deity to their own minds; but they will find the God of the bible, to be the great and terrible God, who changeth not, either in his nature, perfections or threatnings. But if his unchangeable greatness speaks terror to the workers of iniquity, it affords the strongest consolation to the righteous. "The eyes of the Lord rua to and fro through the

whole earth, to shew himself strong in behalf of those, whose "heart is perfect toward him." And he is the unchangeable God, who hath declared, "None shall be able to pluck them out "of his hands." He will infallibly guide them by his counsel, and afterwards receive them to glory. The immutability of Jehovah administers to them full assurance, that he who hath begun a good work in them, will continue it to the end. "For I am "persuaded," says St. Paul," that neither death, nor life, nor "angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor "things to come, nor heigth, nor depth, nor any other creature, "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in "Christ Jesus our Lord."

The divine omniscience equally exhibits the exceeding and unsearchable greatness of the Most High. His knowledge is too wonderful for us it is an heigth to which we cannot attain. He equally extends to all things past, present, and to come. Time and chance happeneth to all, but this is inapplicable to the allknowing God. All what we term contingencies, or casual events, are perfectly plain to the divine omniscience. The falling of a sparrow to the ground is with us a most trivial and incidental thing, yet such an inconsiderable matter as this falls under the notice of God. "Not a sparrow falls to the ground without the "notice of your heavenly Father." The death of king Ahab, by the random shot of an arrow, for he, who drew the bow, did it