Year: 1866

| discussion OIL Inc SleuonIS OF the uOC-


trine, to prepare sledge with which


to force home upon our convictions the
important practical applications of it.


The Scriptures teach US that God is


an absolute Sovereign. he is perfectly in


dependent and is responsible to no


being but himself. He is God over all
and no one may attempt without


senseiess presumption to limit the ex-


ercise of His power. He worketh all


things after the counsel of His own will.


When that will is revealed, it is a sufi-


cient reason for obedience, that it is


His will, that sit seemeth good unto


HIM" And although Jehovah some


times condescends to reason with His


subjects, although He presents motives


to affect the moral agents whom He


governs, He is under no obligation to


do it, and the fact is an illustration of


the richness of His grace.


Gods Sovereignty is lglirerSal.-T There


is no thing, or being, in the universe


that is not subject to it. Angels, and


men, and devils are within its jurisdic


ton. The Kingdom of the great God


is without boundaries and inalienable.


"Au the inhabitants of the earth are


reputed as nothing; and He doeth ac-


cording to His will in the army of


Heaven, and among the inhabitants of


the earth; and none can stay His hand,


or say unto Him. What doest Thou ?"


Man alone, and man in whatever COM


bination, is always within this rule


None is so abject as to escape its notice,


none so high as to be above its control.


Earthly governments are not more ab-


solved from its claims than individuals


that compose them, and robbery and
wrong do not cease to be such, when


sanctioned by human legislation.


Gods Sovereignty is everlasting. His
reign had no beginning, and shall have
no end. His Kingdom is an everlasting
Kingdom, it shall break in pieces and
consume all others, and shall itself
stand forever. Human authority is of
necessity short in its continuance
Rulers, and dynssties, and govern
ments, arise and flourish, decline and
perish. In the grand drama Of the
world they appear like actors and
scenery on the stage constantly chang


ing-coming and passing away-and
are all under the direction of the great
Manager, and working out His ends,
and accomplishing His purposes,
tho Ugh seeking only their own. We do
see the conclusion Of the drama We
cannot always judge its character from
the part acted in our time. This life
developes some of the scenes, others
will not be known until, the curtain of
the eternal world rolled up, we behold
the parts assigned the worlds players
on that stage. OF the future of the
present world we can divine but little,
of the other world still less-and the
facts of Doth are within the scope of
that reign of which men so rashly and
prematurely presume to pass judgment


The diUtle Sovereignty ADMITS NO PART
NERsHIP or RIVALRY; it excepts or
overlooks no being or thing; it has no
BEGINNING OK END; F; and ITS TRIUMPH IS
SURE, for it rests on ALMIGHTY POWER
1t justly claims our reverence and fear.
We should recognize its authority and
obey its laws because they are just,
and because they cannot be successful
ly defed. But the aspect of it in the
text calls for other emotions. We may
rojoiee in it also, and be thankful for 1t,
because He who reigns absolutely, uni
versally, everlastingly, reigns wisely,
Justly, and 6enefcentLy. While the
government of God has power to COM
mand our reverence, immaculate jus
tice to claim our respect 'justice and
judgement" being the "habitation of
its throne"-while it has infinite wis
dom to excite our wonder and admira-
tion-it has. besides, good ends to sub
serve, 6ensfcent ends-ends of lore and
mercy, to call forth our joy and graft
tude, and praise.


This is the aspect of the subject to
which the text calls our attention
the benefcent and remedial character
OF the divine Sovereignty. "The Lord
reigneth let the earth rejoice" His
reign is not that of a stern, self seeking
ruler, regardless of the interests or hap
piness of his subjects, nor is it like that
of the Hindoo God, a dreamy, letharg-
ic repose, unconcerned and Indifferent
to the world. His reign is distinguish
ed by its pure and boundless bene6-
cence, that seeks the welfare of all its
subjects, and it is pervaded by an ON
nipotent, omnipresent, and intense ac-
tivity. Supreme love. perfect holiness,
and almighty power are here combin-
ed, and they must be active, intensely,
inconceiYably active. In other words,
this activity may exhibit only beneVo-
lence and love without either severity
or. punishment, but our world is in re-
bellion, and suffering and sorrow are a
part of its experience.


On this view of the divine Sovereign
ty, we must rect all well grounded hope
for our struggling humanity. If our
race is ever to reach an eminence of
moral and social happiness such as the
wise and good have expected, predict
ed, and longed to behold, it must be
through the workings of divine agen-
Cyan agency that shall pervade and
make successful the efforts of the good,
and that shall bring to naught the
counsels, and defeat the purposes of
the malignant. God will, in the exer-
else of his wise sovereignty bless and
all subordinate agen-
cies of benefcence, and, in his own
time, and that will be the best time,
will crown them with success. They
who labor to establish truth and right
eousness-who seek to raise the fallen
and degraded-may hope for tri
umph, not only because of the noble
ness of their cause, but because they
are "laborers together with God" He
will not suffer them to labor in vain.--
In his sovereignty, he will make even
the wrath of man to praise him. The
wicked shall fall into the pit they have
digged for others-or if they thrust
in the good, the pit, like that Joseph's
brethren thrust him into, shall only
be shelter provided by their enemies
in the way to better and higher sta
ton.


Good men often mourn, like the
over the apparent success Of
wicked DEVICES, and wicked men. In
stead of the dawning of golden age,
they seem to see an age of brass, and
iron, and clay. The cause of truth at
times seems to go backward, the days
of universal peace, and liberty, do not
come or show signs of dawning-and |
they exclaim "all these things are
against u.s." But if they take, as the |
patriarch afterward did, longer view,
they may discover that the things they
deplore are Gods means of securing