the existence, or perfections of God, if he had not immutably determined to employ all his natural and moral attributes in promoting the greatest, the wisest, and best designs. Had he never determined to act out and display his great and amiable character in the works of creation, providence and redemption, there would have been no ground or reason for rejoicing in him. Strip God of all his wise and holy designs, and we strip him of all his moral excellences; and when he is divested of these, his natural perfections lose all their lustre, and are no longer objects of complacency and delight, but only of fear and dread. To rejoice in God, therefore, implies rejoicing in all his wise and holy purposes, respecting himself and every creature, object and event that ever has existed, or ever will exist. Nor can christians sincerely rejoice in God, unless they are pleased that he is in one mind, that his counsel shall stand, and that it is as impossible for any created being to frustrate, counteract, or defeat his purposes, as to destroy his existence. I may add,

4. To rejoice in God is to rejoice that he is constantly and irresistibly carrying into effect all his original and eternal designs, or that he is working all things after the counsel of his own will." The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice." If it be desirable that the greatest, the wisest, and best of beings should govern the universe, then it is desirable that he should direct every event, and dispose of every object, just as he originally intended, before the foundation of the world. And christians cannot do their duty to rejoice in God, unless they heartily rejoice in all the dispensations of his providence and grace. In all these respects, christians are required to rejoice in God, and to rejoice in him always. So runs the divine command. "Rejoice in the Lord alway." God's existence is always the same; his perfections are always the same; his designs are always the same; and he always governs all things according to his designs; and therefore we must suppose the command in the text requires christians to rejoice in the Lord, at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances whatsoever. Let us now inquire,

II. Whether there be a propriety in the precept which requires christians to rejoice in the Lord always.

There is no question whether God may, with propriety, require men to rejoice in him sometimes; but it may be a question whether there be a propriety in requiring them to rejoice in him always, or at all times. He certainly requires men to mourn sometimes. Solomon says that "there is a time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Men are required to weep with them that weep, as well as to rejoice with them that rejoice. In Joel's day, God

said to his people, "Turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping, and with mourning: Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach." Now, since God expressly requires men to mourn, it must unquestionably be their duty to obey this command. But how is it possible, that we should obey his command to rejoice always, and yet obey his command to mourn sometimes. His command to mourn sometimes seems to forbid our rejoicing always. Where then is the propriety of the precept to rejoice always? Certainly we have no right to call the propriety of this precept in question; and of course we must believe that it is consistent with the precept to mourn; and that its consistency may be known and made to appear. It cannot be denied that there have been, from the beginning of the world to this day, thousands and millions of things under the divine government, which are proper objects of regret, sorrow and mourning. Every natural and moral evil that has ever taken place in any part of God's extensive dominions, is an object of mourning and sorrow. The sin and misery of the fallen angels, the sin and misery of Adam and of all his posterity, and all the pains and groans of the animal creation, are to be regretted and lamented, as disagreeable and undesirable evils, in themselves considered. There is an essential difference between evil objects and good objects, in themselves considered. Good objects are matters of joy; and evil objects are matters of sorrow. Holiness and happiness are good objects; but sin and misery are evil objects. There is always a good reason to rejoice in holiness and happiness; but no good reason ever to rejoice in sin and misery. It is one thing to rejoice in God, and another thing to rejoice in the holiness and happiness which he causes to exist. And it is one thing to rejoice in God, and another to rejoice in his introducing sin and misery into his moral system. There is always reason to rejoice that God is what he is, and does what he does. He rejoices in himself on both these accounts. He says, "I form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things." Now it is easy to see a good reason to rejoice in what God is, and in what he does. He is good in himself, and he always acts from wise and good motives, whether he forms light or creates darkness, whether he makes peace, or creates evil; that is, whether he produces natural, or moral good, or whether he produces natural or moral evil. Hence there is a propriety in his requiring us to rejoice in himself always; but there is no propriety in his ever requiring us to mourn in himself. Nor do we find a single command to

mourn in the Lord. The ground of mourning is entirely dif ferent from the ground of rejoicing, in all cases. There is ground of rejoicing in God and in all the natural and moral good he causes to take place; and there is ground of mourning in all the natural evils his creatures suffer, and in all the moral evils they commit. There is just cause to mourn for creatures, but no just cause to mourn for God. Therefore mourning for creatures is perfectly consistent with always rejoicing in God.! Notwithstanding the ten thousand natural and moral evils that abound all over the world, and wring the hearts of multitudes every day with anguish and sorrow, there is always abundant } reason to rejoice in God. For God acts as wisely and benevolently in bringing about sin and misery, as in bringing about holiness and happiness. A patient may rejoice in the skill and benevolence of the surgeon, while he mourns and bewails the pains of amputation. Men may rejoice in God's wisdom and goodness in causing all things to take place as they do, and yet lament and mourn on account of a vast many things that do take place. God may therefore with great propriety require us always to rejoice that he is, and that he reigns, while he requires us to mourn for sin and misery in ourselves and others. being true, I proceed as proposed,

This

III. To mention some peculiar reasons, why we should rejoice in God always. And,

1. We have reason always to rejoice in God, because he always knows what is best to do with all his creatures. His understanding is infinite, and comprehends all his creatures and all his works at one clear, intuitive view. All creatures and all objects always lie equally open and naked to his all seeing eye, from eternity to eternity. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." He is the only wise God; and he alone knows what is wisest and best to do with all created beings and objects. He is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. Amidst all the natural and moral evils that abound and always will abound in the universe, he sees no doubtful or difficult cases; but always knows what is best to do, and how it is best to treat every rational and irrational creature, and every holy and unholy creature, in the innumerable circumstances in which they are placed. He is the only being, who has this universal and all comprehensive knowledge. Among all created beings, there is not one who knows all things. The highest, noblest and wisest intelligent creatures cannot see all things at once; and much less to all eternity. And of course, they cannot see what is best for themselves, and much less what is best for their fellow creatures, through every period of their existence. It is therefore a matter of great and universal joy, that

God always knows what is best for the whole intelligent universe, who always will be inseparably connected and have a mutual influence upon each other. There is no ground to rejoice in the knowledge or wisdom of any created beings, because their wisdom and knowledge are limited, and they may err, through ignorance or design. But there is a just and solid ground to rejoice in God, who always knows what is best for the whole intelligent universe, though more numerous than the stars of heaven.

any

2. We have always reason to rejoice in God, because he not only knows what is best to do with all his creatures, but is always immutably disposed to do what is best. He has them all under his eye, and sees all their external circumstances, and knows all their internal views and desires, hopes and fears, joys and sorrows. As a father feels towards his children, so the Father of mercies feels towards his whole family, whether in heaven, or earth, or any other part of the universe. He is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. He beholds all his creatures from the highest to the lowest, with an impartial and benevolent eye. As he knows what is best, so he is always disposed to do what is best. This is far from being true in respect to short sighted and sinful creatures. They are not disposed to do what they know to be right, and believe to be best; but employ their rational powers in doing evil, instead of doing good; and would, were it in their power, destroy all the holiness and happiness in the universe. And since there is no ground of rejoicing in the goodness of created beings, it is matter of high and pure joy that there is one Being, in whose boundless goodness there is a permanent foundation always to rejoice. The perfect goodness of God is, in its own nature, a just and immutable cause of rejoicing, aside from the ten thousand streams of goodness which flow from it. There is, indeed, a good reason to rejoice in the streams of divine goodness; but these are nothing and less than nothing, in comparison with the Fountain of all good. All the good ef fects of divine goodness are, in themselves considered, just cause of rejoicing; but to rejoice in these properly, we ought to rejoice, principally and supremely, because they flow from God the fountain of all good; who remains the same perfectly good being, whether he directs the streams of his goodness to us, or to any of our fellow creatures; or whether he turns the streams of his goodness from us to other objects of his benevolence or complacency. As God is always disposed to do what is best in regard to his whole intelligent creation, we have always reason to rejoice in him, because he is disposed to do all things that are wisest and best to be done; for we ought always to

desire what is best should be done, and to rejoice when we know that it is done. I must add,

3. We have reason to rejoice in God always, not only because he always knows what is best, and is disposed to do what is best, but because he is absolutely able to do what is best. If his power were not as unlimited as his wisdom and goodness, there would be no just foundation to rejoice in him always. If there were a single case, among all his creatures in any part of the universe, in which he could not do what he saw wisest and best to be done, it would shake all confidence in him, and forbid our ever rejoicing in him. For if his power should fail in one instance, it would be impossible for us to know that it would not fail in ten thousand instances; and in those which would be most injurious, if not destructive, to the holiness and happiness of the whole intelligent creation. If he were not able to govern any, or all of his rebellious creatures, we should have no permanent foundation to rejoice in his government, either in time or eternity. Indeed, we should have no just ground to rejoice always in his wisdom, or in his goodness, if he were not always able to do what he saw to be best. But the scripture assures us that his power is absolutely unlimited and irresistible. Job says, "I know that thou canst do every thing." The power of God is almighty and irresistible. There is none can stay his hand. He has the same controlling and irresistible power over all his creatures, that the potter has over the clay. The Psalmist says, " Our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased." And he always is able to do whatsoever he pleases. If he knows what is best, and is pleased to do whatever is best, he certainly always will do what is best. God is an infinitely wise and benevolent and powerful being, who has formed the wisest and best designs; and who is infinitely more zealous to employ his almighty power to accomplish them, than any of his creatures are to employ all their powers and faculties to accomplish any of their most important and desirable purposes. That such a being exists, and rules in the armies of heaven above, and among the inhabitants of this lower world, is a matter of just and universal joy to the whole intelligent creation. The apostle had good ground to call upon all christians to rejoice in the Lord always. And David had as good ground to call upon all mankind to rejoice in God. "The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne." This is calling upon mankind to rejoice in God always, notwithstanding the innumerable evils which are a just occasion of lamentation, sorrow and mourning. There