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better than they?" Let it fuffice, that God regards every thing that he hath inade, in its own order, and in proportion to that measure of his own image, which he has ftamped upon it,

6. May I be permitted to mention here a conjecture, concerning the brute creation? What if it should then please the All-wife, the All-gracious Creator, to raise them higher in the fcale of beings? What if it fhould please him, when he makes us equal to Angels, to make them what we are now? Creatures. capable of God? Capable of knowing, and loving, and enjoying the Author of their being? If it fhould be fo, ought our eye to be evil, becaufe he is good? However this be, he will certainly do what will be moft for his own glory.

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7. If it be objected to all this, (as very probably it will.) But of what use will those creatures be, in that future ftate?" I answer this by another question, What use are they of now? If there be, (as has commonly been fuppofed) eight thousand fpecies of infects, who is able to inform us, of what use seven. thousand of them are? If there are four thousand species of fishes, who can tell us, of what use are more than three thousand of them? If there are fix hundred forts of birds, who can tell of what ufe five hundred of thofe fpecies are? If there be four hundred forts of beafts, to what.ufe do three hundred of them ferve? Confider this; confider how little we know of even the prefent defigns of God: and then you will not wonder, that we know ftill lefs, of what he defigns to do in the new heavens and the new earth.

8. "But what end does it anfwer, to dwell upon this fubje&t which we fo imperfectly underland?" To confider fo much as we do understand, fo much as God as been pleased to reveal to us, may answer that excellent end, to illustrate that mercy of God, which is over all his works. And it may exceedingly confirm our belief, that much more he is loving to every man. For how well may we urge our Lord's word, Are not ye much better than they? If then the Lord takes fuch care of the fowls of the air, and of the beafs of the field, shall he not

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much more take care of you, creatures of a nobler order? If the Lord will fave, (as the infpired writer affirms) both man and beaft, in their feveral degrees, furely the children of men may put their trust under the fhadow of his wings!

9. May it not anfwer another end, namely, furnifh us with a full answer to a plaufible objection against the juslice of God, in fuffering numberless creatures, that never had finned, to be fo feverely punished? They could not fin, for they were not moral agents. Yet how feverely do they fuffer? Yea, many of them, beafts of burden in particular, almoft the whole time of their abode on earth. So that they can have no retribution here below. But the objection vanishes away, if we confider, that fomething better remains after death, for thefe poor creatures alfo! That these likewise fhall one day be delivered from this bondage of corruption, and shall then receive an ample amends for all their present sufferings.

10. One more excellent end may undoubtedly be answered by the preceding confiderations. They may encourage us to imitate him, whofe mercy is over all his works. They may folten our hearts towards the meaner creatures, knowing that the Lord careth for them. It may enlarge our hearts towards thofe poor creatures to reflect, that as vile as they appear in our eyes, not one of them is forgotten in the fight of our Father which is in heaven. Through all the vanity to which they are now fubjected, let us look to what God hath prepared for them. Yea, let us habituate ourselves to look forward, beyond this present scene of bondage, to the happy time when they will be delivered therefrom, into the liberty of the children of God.

11. From what has been faid I cannot but draw one inference, which no man of reafon can deny. If it is this which diftinguishes men from beafts, That they are creatures capable of God; capable of knowing, and loving, and enjoying him then whoever is without God in the world; whoever does not know, or love, or enjoy God, and is not careful

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about the matter, does in effect difclaim the nature of man, and degrade himself into a beast. Let fuch vouchsafe a little attention to those remarkable words of Solomon: I faid in my heart concerning the eftate of the fons of men,—they might fee, that they themselves are beafts. Thefe fons of men are undoubtedly beafts; and that by their own act and deed. For they deliberately and wilfully difclaim the fole characteristic of Human Nature. It is true they may have a share of Reason: they have speech, and they walk erect. But they have not the mark, the only mark, which totally separates man from the brute creation. That which befalleth beafts, the fame thing befalleth them. They are equally without God in the world, Jo that a man (of this kind) hath no pre-eminence above a beaft.

12. So much more, let all those who are of a nobler turn of mind, affert the diftinguishing dignity of their nature! Let all who are of a more generous spirit, know and maintain their rank in the fcale of beings. Reft not, till you enjoy the Privilege of Humanity, the Knowledge and Love of God. Lift up your heads, ye creatures capable of God. Lift up your hearts to the fource of your being!

"Know God, and teach your fouls to know
The joys that from Religion flow."

Give your hearts to him, who, together with ten thousand bleffings, has given you his Son, his only Son! Let your continual fellowship be with the Father, and with his Son, Jefus Chrift! Let God be in all your thoughts, and ye will be men indeed: let him be your God and your All! The defire of your eyes, the joy of your heart, and your portion for

ever!

November 30, 1781.

Eccles. iii. 18.

A fhort

ག་བ་mརེར་དུས་ཞེན་ཟེ་

A Short ACCOUNT of Mr. GEORGE STORY,

[Continued from page 20.]

WHEN I was twenty years old, I was glad of the op

portunity of feeing London. I went up full of the moft fanguine expectation of finding the happiness I was in fearch of, and therefore loft no time in feeing and hearing every thing new and curious that I could gain accefs to. But new things quickly grew old, and the repeated fight of them foon proved difguftful. No happiness followed, but an unaccountable anguish of fpirit, whenever I attended to the fenfations of my own mind. Then I would gladly have travelled into any part of Europe or America, hoping a continual change of fcenes would fatisfy me. But it was war time, and I could not embark for Holland without a passport from the Secretary of State, which I did not know how to procure.

At length I refolved to try if Religion would afford me any relief. I went to feveral places of worship, but ever this was in vain there was fomething dull and difagreeable, wherever I turned my eyes, and I knew not that the malady was in myfelf. At length I found Mr. Whitfield's chapel in Tottenham-Court-Road: and was agreeably entertained with his manner of preaching: his difcourfes were fo engaging, that when I retired to my lodgings, I wrote down the fubftance of them in my journal, and frequently read them over with pleafure: but ftill nothing reached my cafe, nor had I any light into the state of my foul. Mean time on the week nights I went to the Theatres; nor could I difcern any difference. between Mr. Whitfield's preaching and feeing a good tragedy.

Being now weary of every thing, and every place being equal to me, (for I carried about with me a mind that was

never at reft,) I embraced the invitation of my friends, and returned into the country. I was kindly received and folicited to enter into business for myself. But reflecting that I was young and unexperienced, I declined the offer, and engaged with a person to manage his Printing-Office. I was now in an agreeable fituation. I wanted for nothing. I had more money than I knew what to do with. Yet notwithstanding I was as wretched as I could live, without knowing either the cause of this mifery, or any way to escape.

I had now for fome years attempted to regulate my conduct according to Reafon; but alas! I flood condemned, in a thousand inftances, even at the bar of that partial Judge. From my infancy I was exceeding paffionate; and this evil grew upon me, and caufed bitter reflections on various occafions. I knew that Anger was a paroxyfm of Madness, that it was contrary to Reafon in every refpe&t; I therefore guarded against it with all my might. Sometimes I conquered; and thofe tranfient victories greatly pleafed me; but if an unexpected temptation fuddenly occurred, all my refolutions were but as a thread of flax before the fire: and my behaviour was more like that of an enraged wild beast, than of a rational creature. Sometimes, when among facetious company, I endeavoured to catch their fpirit. But in the midst of levity I had a dread upon me. Experience taught me, that their laughter was madness. As foon as I returned to fober

thoughts, I found my feigned mirth left a melancholy upon my mind. And this was fucceeded either by ftorms of paffion, or an averfion even to life. During this dark night of apoftafy, I lost all remembrance of God's former goodness. I wandered to different places of religious worship, but found fufficient matter every where to be difgufted; at length I forfook them all, and on Sundays, confined myfelf to my room, or retired to the centre of a neighbouring wood. Here I confidered, with the clofeft attention I was able, the arguments for and against Deifm. I would gladly have given

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