can turn him? and what his soul desireth even that he doeth. Ps. 102: 25. Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure, yea all of them shall wax old like a garment, as a vesture thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. James 1: 17. Every good gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Such is God's inherent nature. He possesses all these qualities, in infinite perfection. Can we not believe in and trust such a God? Yea, the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe: He is seated upon the throne of dominion, and besides him there is no God.

There are also moral qualities which God possesses, and which constitute his moral nature, such as wisdom, goodness, mercy, justice, long suffering, forbearance, kindness, righteousness and holiness. These he enjoins upon man to possess and imitate in harmony with himself. And as

he is the fountain and original source from whence all these moral qualities are derived, it is our duty to seek him with all the heart, to love and reverence him with all the affections.

God's wisdom is displayed in the creation of the universe, and the laws by which it is governed, and in the glorious plans of man's redemption. His goodness and mercy in the gift of his dear Son, and the manifold bless. ings temporal and spiritual with which we are favored.His justice in the impartiality of his administration, and the strict obedience He requires of all his intelligent creatures to his will and government. His long suffering and forbearance, in giving man a season of probation, and neglecting to execute speedily his sentence against an evil

work. His righteousness and holiness, in the purity of his acts, and precepts given to the children of men. In all these ways the moral attributes of our eternal and most glorious God, are drawn out and exhibited to man.

Surely the fear of the Lord must be the beginning of wisdom. Let us have proper and correct views of his person, character, and attributes, and worship Him in the beauty of holiness.

We come next to notice the seat and capital of the divine administration: or the dwelling-place of the Most High God. Every government and kingdom must have a capital-a royal place, where the head and seat of the administration reside, and from whence authority and laws issue. To say that God exists every where, that He is as much in one place as another, and to give him no personal existence, is to make God a mere universal agent in nature, a mere principle and law, whereas, we must trace these agents and laws in nature, up to nature's God—the Great Author of them. And when you come to Him, you will find Him to be a being that has personal existence, a real capital and dwelling-place from which he surveys and governs the universe. And on this point I rejoice that we are not left to be guided by the genius of speculation, or blind conjectures.

The Scriptures bring to our knowledge the fact, that God has a dwelling-place—a seat and capital-and we invite the reader to notice a few of the many passages to which we direct your attention, as positive proof on this subject. Ps. 11: 4. The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men. Heaven then is the dwellingplace of God. There he has his throne of dominion, and surveys and governs his universe of subjects and works. Ps. 73: 25, Whom have I in heaven but thee, or on earth that I desire beside thee? 1 Kings 8: 30, Hear thou in

heaven, thy dwelling place. Also, 2 Chron. 6: 21; Isa. 57: 15, For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is Holy. I dwell in the high and holy place [in heaven], with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit and heart of the humble and contrite ones. His mode of dwelling in the heart is, by his spirit and word; while in person he dwells in the high and holy place. Matt. 6: 9, Our Father who art in heaven. Matt. 10: 32, Him will I confess also, before my Father which is in heaven. Acts 7: 55, But he being full of the Holy Ghost looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. Eph. 1: 20, And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly, or holy place. Christ, as he declared, ascended up to his Father and to our Father, to his God and to our God; and did he go-reach his dwelling-place, and right hand?

Heb. 9:24, For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Here God's person

ality as identified with heaven, his dwelling-place, and as Enoch, Elijah, and Christ, were persons and had bodies, and are said to have gone up into heaven, heaven must be a real, literal place, and God who is said to have His residence there, must be a real personal being. But as God has a spiritual and glorified body, and as mortality cannot look upon and enjoy the presence of a being in such a state, we are to conclude that Enoch, Elijah, and Christ, were changed when they were caught up in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, as all the saints will be from mortal to immortality, and from a natural to a spiritual and glorified state, at the resurrection of the just. No person then that possesses mortality can go to heaven, or see God, or dwell in his immediate presence, without first being changed and made like God, and have His mode of existence like Him

Let us then be instructed, and get wisdom and understanding, let us have an intelligent belief in the existence of God, of his person and attributes, of His divine and glorious moral nature, and of His high and holy dwelling-place.The more correct and intelligent our views are of the Divine Being, the greater will be our emancipation from heathenism, and the traditions of men; the more correct, consistent, and profitable our worship, the deeper our reverence and love, the more commendable our zeal, and the more pleasing and acceptable our services to Him.Yes, reader, there is a God, and that God is a rational Being. He has body, parts, and passions, and a real dwelling-place, and is infinite in all His attributes, and is every way worthy of our reverence, love, service, and highest gratitude and praise.

CHAPTER II.

GOD'S PURPOSE IN THE CREATION.

Our next inquiry is, to ascertain what were the purposes and plans of the Almighty in creating the world, and bringing man into existence. He must have had some object and purpose in view, and from what we have discovered of his character and attributes, that object must have been an, important and glorious one. And as God is an un-. changeable being, whatever we find His purposes and plans to be, they must stand-they must be carried outthey can never be defeated, or fail of an accomplishment.

To admit that God would make revelation of His will and purposes at one time, and alter them at another, or that He would fail to accomplish them, would be to admit that there is no stability or consistency in the moral gov ernment of God. What confidence could the subjects of a king place in the will and purposes of their sovereign, if he annuls to-morrow what he decrees to-day? And what confidence could man or angels place in the divine administration, if the counsels, purposes, and plans of that adminis tration are subject to change or failure? Let me repeat, then, and let this be distinctly understood, that whatever we discover God's purposes to be in creating the world and