for the everlasting enjoyments of heaven.

bor shall not be in vain in the Lord.

3. God holds up the promise of good to his people, not only to animate their exertions, but to comfort and support them under all their sufferings. Many are the afflictions of the righteous.

2. God holds up promises of good to his people, before he bestows it upon them, to animate and encourage them to do their part, to bring the promises of good to pass. God usually employs his people as instruments Good men are called to of promoting the good, which he suffer, as well as to act for God. has designed and promised to And the people of God are algive them. We know that he ways more or less subjected to employed Abraham and his sufferings, on account of their posterity, as active instruments being his people, and espousing of obtaining the land of prom- his cause, in the face of an opise. Abraham spent his life in posing and frowning worldpreparing the way for the ac- What severe trials were Abracomplishment of the promises ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and made to him. So did Isaac Joseph called to endure! How and Jacob, and the sons of Ja- long did their posterity labor, cob, and their numerous posteri- and suffer, and groan in the ty in Egypt. Afterwards Mo-house of bondage! What a comses and Aaron, Caleb and Josh-plication of evils and calamities ua, and the whole people of Israel, spent forty years in fighting their way through hosts of enemies to their promised inheritance. It was the promise made to their fathers, that fired their breasts with courage, resolution, and zeal, to perform their part for the attainment of the good they had in view. They never would have displayed so much valor, fortitude, and activity as they did, if they had not been inspired with a lively trust in the faithfulness of God, to bestow upon them the rich blessings of Canaan, which he had so often promised to bestow. And the promises of God under the gospel have the same animating influence upon Christians, to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and to be stedfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that their la

fell upon them through their long and distressing journey from Egypt to Canaan! They had nothing but the promise of God to console and support them through the dreary wilderness. And all those who refused to receive comfort from this source, fainted and perished by the way. It was by faith in the divine promise that the ancient patriarchs, cheerfully and patiently endured the dreadful evils and fiery trials, which are painted in such lively colors in the eleventh of Hebrews. By faith Abraham left his native country, and sojourned in a strange land, and by faith he offered up Isaac. By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, esteeming the proach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect to the recompense of reward. Through faith,

re

tions, if it were not for the support which they derive from the precious promises of God.

the pious patriarchs lived, suffered, and died in peace. They beheld the promises afar off and embraced them, which support- 4. There is another good reaed them under the severest tri- son why God promises good to als and tortures, which the ene- his people before he bestows it mies of all righteousness could upon them, and that is to make inflict upon them. It is still them sensible of his peculiar true, that those who will live love to them. He causes his engodly in Christ Jesus, shall suf- emies to share largely in the fer more or less in his cause. bounties of his providence, and God knows with how much trib- often gives them as much as ulation his people must enter in- heart cau wish of the good things to his kingdom, and he has gra- of this life. But he never promciously adapted his promises of ises to bestow any good upon temporal, spiritual, and eternal them, as a token of his peculiar good to their trying and suffer- favor. What he gives them, he ing state. He gives them gives as a sovereign, and as an ground, in their darkest hours, expression of his mere benevoto believe, that light is sown for lence to the evil and unthankful. them, and will spring up at the But the good which he promises best time, for their comfort and to his people, he promises as a consolation. His promises lay a token of his peculiar love to solid foundation for them to live them. He loved Abraham as by that faith which overcomes his friend, and therefore promthe world, and which is the sub-ised to grant him rich and signal stance of things hoped for and favors, as a token of his love to the evidence of things not seen. him. He has promised never to leave nor forsake them, and this is suited to give them full confidence, that he will bring them out of all their troubles and afflictions, purified and prepared for the good he has promised to them that love him. It was a lively and constant trust in his Father's faithfulness to give him the joy, which he had promised to give him, that supported and enabled Christ to endure all the reproach and pains of the cross. And it is for the sake of supporting and comforting his people in all their trials and tribulations, that God has promised before hand the good he intends to bestow upon them. How often would his children faint under their heavy burdens and affic

The same is true of all the promises, which he makes to his people. And it is this design in his promises, which gives his people a peculiar sense of the divine love in their reception of divine benefits. The good they receive in consequence of a divine promise, unspeakably heightens the value of it. A sense of God's love in giving affords them a far higher enjoyment, than the good given. Besides, the longer they wait, and the more evil they endure, before the promised good is bestowed, the better they are prepared to receive and enjoy it. Long desired and long expected favors are much more esteemed, than those which come without any ardent desires and painful fears. Pain gives a value to

ly because he was willing to bestow the good he promised. Had he been constrained, as his creatures often are, to make disagreeable promises, there might be a doubt, whether he would certainly fulfil them. But since he made all his promises of choice, and was really willing to bestow the good, which he promised, there is not the least ground to doubt, whether he will eventually bestow any prom

ease, sickness to health, and ad- to his people; and therefore he versity to prosperity. By prom-made them of choice, or mereising good long before he bestows it, God tries the faith, and hope, and patience of his people, and thereby prepares them to receive the good he has promised, with peculiar satisfaction, joy, and gratitude. All the evils, and dangers, and hopes, and fears, which Israel experienced in the wilderness, had a direct tendency to increase their joy and happiness in the land of promise. This God knew would be the happy effect of his promised blessing upon his people. ising so long before hand the good which he intended to bestow upon them. And this is the wise and benevolent end he always has in view, in promising good to his people, before he puts them into the enjoyment of it. Thus we see good reasons why God promises before handed him to make any promise of the blessings, which he means to bestow upon his people.

He often told his people in former ages, that it was owing to his peculiar love to them, that he made them his people,. and that he had engaged to distinguish them from the rest of the world by his peculiar favors. And the same love that prompt

good to his people, must be a constant prevailing motive to fufil his promises. If his love does not cease, his faithfulness will not fail. But his love to his people is unchangeable and everlasting, and therefore he will certainly bestow upon them every favor and blessing, which he has ever promised and given them ground to expect.

Having shown why God makes promises of good to his people before it is bestowed, it may not be improper to reflect on the reasons for believing that he will certainly fulfil these promises. God has given his people clear and convincing evidence of his faithfulness from age to age, so that they have known he has never failed to do them all the good which he has promised. This is a strong, presumptive evidence, that he will always fulfil his promises. Besides, there are several strong reasons to believe, that he will certainly fulfil all his promises, which re-things for Israel, and such as no main to be fulfilled.

1. He has never promised any thing, but what he was willing to fulfil. He was under no obligation to make any promises

2. We may be assured, that God will certainly fulfil his promises to his people, because he has promised nothing but what he is able to perform. It is true, he has promised to do cxceeding great and difficult things. He promised to do great

created power could effect. He promised to take them out of the hands of one powerful nation, and to put other powerful nations into their hands. And

He is infinitely more zealously engaged to promote the good of his people and the interests of his kingdom here on earth, than mankind are to promote their own personal good. And since his power, pleasure, and glory unitedly require him to bestow all the good upon his people, that he has promised, it is morally impossible that his faithfulness should fail. The preceding observations suggest the following remarks

in order to bring about these e-ed both in this world and in the vents, it was necessary for God world to come. He will not to work wonders, and to do such therefore, be slack, as men count things as his people were ready slackness,in fulfilling his promisto think could not be done. But es. he was able to do all the great and astonishing things, which he had promised to do, and never failed in a single particular. It looks, indeed, still more difficult for God to fulfil some of his promises, which remain to be accomplished in favor of his people. He has promised to restrain the power and influence of Satan, to enlighten, to reform, and to subdue the hearts of all nations, and to spread holiness and happiness through the whole world. It seems next to impossible, that such great natural and moral changes should be effected, when there are so many great natural and moral obsta-truth and beauty of the Bible. cles, that lie in the way and must be surmounted. But God is able to do every thing. He can turn obstacles into instruments to fulfil his promises. And since he is abundantly able, as well as willing, to fulfil his promises, his people may rest satisfied, that they will be faithfully and punctually fulfilled. Especially, if they consider,

3. That God has promised nothing, but what his own glory requires him to bestow. It is his glory to do good, and to do as much good as possible. The greater his promises are, the greater will be his glory in fulfilling them. He displayed great glory in fulfilling his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the children of Israel. And he can display much greater glory, by fulfilling his much greater promises to his people, which remain to be accomplish

1. Since God has made promises of good to his people and has been constantly fulfilling them, he has been, and still is giving increasing evidence of the

Those who have doubted of the divine inspiration of the scriptures, have acknowledged, that if the accomplishment of the promises and predictions therein contained, can be made evident, then they would allow the Bible must be the word of God. And it seems that this evidence must be completely satisfactory. Now it certainly appears from what has been said, that the Bible contains promises, which God has made to his people and that he has constantly been fulfilling them. This appears to be true of the great promise made to Abraham in particular. He did promise, and he did give him a numerous posterity. According to his promise, he did protect and deliver them. He did also plant them in the land of Canaan. He did raise up from among them Jesus of Nazareth the Saviour of the world. He

has made the blessing of Abraham come upon the Gentiles. This is confirmed by sacred history and by profane. Other promises and predictions have been fulfilled and are fulfilling all over the world. Now is it conceivable, that any man should foretell and promise so many things without divine inspiration? The fulfilment of divine promises, which are recorded in the Bible, is a constant and unceasing evidence of its divine origin and authority.

2. From what has been said it appears extremely absurd for any to doubt whether God has

ever had, or has now a peculiar people in the world. This some have doubted; and they have published their doubts. And this many still profess to doubt. But if God has made promises to his peculiar people, and been continually fulfilling them; and in fulfilling them has been governing the whole world in reference to them-it is absurd for äny still to think, or say, God has no peculiar people. He has said and done as much as he could, to make it appear that he has a peculiar people, whom he means to favor and bless in time and eternity.

At a Meeting of the General Association of Connecticut, at Watertown the third Tuesday in June, A. D. 1813.

(Concluded from page 264.)

The Committee, "of correspondence on the subject of preventing the intemperate use of ardent spirits," made a report which was accepted as follows:

The Committee of enquiry and correspondence on the subject of the intemperate use of ardent spirits appointed by the General Association at their last session submit the following report :

THE recommendations of the General Association, on the subject of the intemperate use of ardent spirits, have been followed with apparent and salutary consequences. They have been cordially seconded by most of the district Associations; and ardent spirits have been almost uniformly excluded from all ecclesiastical meetings. Ministers, to a considerable extent, have preached on the subject of intemperance, and in many cases with manifest and good effects; the churches have generally approved of the design, and the attention of sober thinking people has been turned to the alarming prevalence of intemperance, and other vices which threaten the welfare of our country. These recommendations have opened the door to those who have long "sighed and cried for the abominations” which are practised among us, and were only waiting a favorable opportunity to put forth their energies more publicly, for the suppression of vice; they have invigorated some who deplored the evils which afflict us but had not resolution openly to stem the torrent of licentiousness; and they have aroused to action others who would sincerely deprecate the prevalence of intemperance and its kindred vices, but were insensible of our danger; they have produced a powerful impulse on the public mind, and given a spring to the energies of the virtuous part of the community, while they have excited far less opposition than might have been ration ally expected.

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