When God created the heavens and the earth, every thing was made, according to its nature and capacity, to show forth his glory. Thus the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handy work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech, nor language where their voice is not heard. Thus also heaven and earth are called upon to praise their Maker: Praise ye him sun and moon: praise him all ye stars of light. Praise him ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all deeps: fire and hail : snow and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: mountains and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: beasts, and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl. Such was the natural order of things established by the Creator: every thing, consciously or unconsciously, furnished its tribute of praise to Him who is over all blessed forever!

But, by the entrance of sin into the world, the creatures became subservient to it; as, when a rebellion breaks out in an empire, the resources of the country, being seized by the rebels, are turned to the support of their cause, and against their rightful owner so every thing which God had created for the accommodation of man, or in any way rendered subservient to his comfort, was turned aside from its original design, and perverted to the purposes of corruption. The Lord complains of the corn, and wine, and oil, and flax, and wool, which he had given to Israel, being prostituted to Baal; and threatens to recover them. Who can count the sacrifices and offerings which have been made of God's creatures to Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Bacchus, and other abominations of the West; or to Brama, Veeshnoo, Seeb, Dhoorga, Juggernaut, and other abominations of the East? And though gross idolatry has in many nations, been dispelled by the light of the gospel, yet still the bounties of providence, furnished for the accommodation of man, are made to serve his lusts. The sun cannot emit his illuminating and fructifying beams but to furnish food for the corrupt propensities of man. The clouds cannot pour down their showers, but the effects of them are made subservient to sin. Rich soils and fruitful seasons become the hot-beds of

vice, on which, as in Sodom, men become ripe for destruction at an earlier period than ordinary.

The creatures have not only been subjected to the vanity of serving the idols and lusts of men; but have themselves been turned into gods, and worshipped to the exclusion of the Creator, who is blessed forever! There is scarcely a creature in heaven. or on earth, but what has been thus drawn into the service of corruption. Not only the sun, and moon, and stars; but gold and silver, and brass, and wood, and stone, and birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things! And though the light of the gospel. has driven this species of stupidity out of Europe, (which the science of Greece and Rome did not so much as diminish,) yet it is in no want of advocates among her degenerate sons. And they that would be ashamed to plead the cause of gross idolatry, yet, in a manner, idolize the works of God, by opposing them to his word. The sweet singer of Israel, after celebrating the former, held up the latter as greatly exceeding them. With him, the light of nature and that of revelation were in harmony; but unbelievers place them at variance. Nature, with them occupies the place. of God, and the light imparted by it is admired at the expense of his word. They have no objection to acknowledge a Supreme Being as the author of the machinery of nature, provided he would give up his moral government over them; but the scriptures are full of hard sayings which they cannot hear! The works of God are silent preachers: in their mouth, there is no reproof but what a hard heart can misconstrue into the approbation of the Creator, understanding his bounties as rewards conferred on his virtuous creatures: this, therefore is the only preaching which many will hear.

In these, and a thousand other ways, the creatures of God have been subjected to vanity. Had they been possessed of intelligence, they would, from the first, have risen up against us, rather than have submitted to such bondage. Yes rather than have been thus forced into the service of sin by the rebel man, they would have conspired together to destroy him from the face of the earth. The sun would have scorched him; the moon with her sickly rays would have smitten him; the stars in their cours

es would have fought against him; air, earth, fire, water, birds, beasts, and even the stones, would have conspired to rid creation of the being, who, by rebelling against the Creator, had filled it with disorder and misery. And though the creatures are not possessed of intelligence, yet from a kind of instinctive tendency to vindicate the cause of God and righteousness, they are naturally at war with rebellious man. Were it not so, there would be no need of a covenant to be made on our behalf with the beasts of the field, the fowls of heaven, the creeping things of the ground, and even with the stones.

God, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to subject the creatures to this vanity for a season, contrary as it was to their nature; but it is only for a season, and therefore is said to be in hope; in the end, they that have abused them will, except they repent, be punished, and they themselves be liberated from their hateful yoke. Thus, for a season, he subjected the seed of Abraham, his own servants, to serve the Egyptians; but that NATION, says he, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance.

The time fixed for the deliverance of the creatures from the bondage of corruption, is that of the manifestation of the sons of God. Hence, they are in a manner identified with them: The earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God; looking for it as for their own deliverance. The redemption of our bodies from the grave will be the destruction of the last enemy, or, in respect of believers, the termination of the effects of sin: and, as the thraldom of the creatures commenced with the commencement of sin, it is fit that it should terminate with its termination. Thus our resurrection will be the signal of emancipation to the creatures, and their emancipation will magnify the glory that shall be revealed in us. Heaven, earth, and seas, and all that in them is, will no longer be worshipped in the place of God, nor compelled to minister to his enemies; but, in that renovated state wherein dwelleth righteousness, shall exist but to praise and glorify their Creator.

The terms used to express the tendency of the creatures towards this great crisis are very strong. Nature is personified, and represented as upon the utmost stretch of expectation; as. groaning and travailing in pain to be delivered. Assuredly, that must be a most important object, the accomplishment of which thus interests the whole creation. This object is the glory that shall be revealed in us-the manifestation of the sons of God-the glorious liberty of the children of God; and thus it is that the Apostle establishes his position-That such is the magnitude of the inberitance of believers, that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with it.

But we must not dismiss this part of the subject, without noticing more particularly these descriptions of the heavenly inheritance-the glory to be revealed in us—the manifestation of the sons of God-and the glorious liberty of the children of God. They all refer to the perfecting of salvation through the death of Christ, which is the greatest display of the glory of God that ever has or will be made. This is the last of that series of events which have been carrying on from the beginning of the world, and to the accomplishment of which they have all been subordinate.

The glory that shall be revealed in us.-There will, doubtless, be a flood of light and joy that will then open to our admiring minds; but the words seem rather to denote the manifestation of the divine glory in our salvation than barely its being revealed to us. Thus the Lord Jesus will come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. The great Physician will appear, with his recovered millions, and, in the presence of an assembled universe, will present them to the Father. Thus the glory of God will be revealed to the universe IN our salvation. All his glorious perfections will be manifested in such a light as they never were by any other of his works, nor by this till it was completed. And that which is revealed to the universe IN us will not be less, but more of an enjoyment to us, than if it had been revealed to us only. The joy of the returned captives was not diminished, but increased, by the surrounding nations saying, The Lord hath done great things for them!

The manifestation of the sons of God.-The foregoing description of the heavenly inheritance had respect to God's manifesting his glory; this to his manifesting ours. We have been familiar with the terms, sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty; but who has been able to comprehend the magnitude of the blessing! Even an inspired Apostle was overwhelmed in thinking of it, and confessed his ignorance: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is! Then the importance of being heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, will be apparent.

The sons of God have here been but little known. Not being distinguished by any thing pertaining to circumstances, or outward condition, and that which has distinguished them being of a still and unostentatious nature, they have generally passed through the world without attracting much of its notice, unless it were to despise and persecute them. If they have been acknowledged as pious men, and have escaped the persecutions and reproaches of the wicked, yet, being mostly poor, and undistinguished by brilliancy of talent, they have ordinarily been considered as beneath attention. But, at that day, the Judge of heaven and earth will distinguish them as the sheep that he will place at his right hand, and as the blessed of his Father, whom he will welcome to the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world; while those who have despised and persecuted them, shall be sentenced to everlasting punishment.

The glorious liberty of the children of God.-The children of God have possessed a glorious liberty from their first believing in Christ. The son then made them free, and they were free indeed! And when the earthly house of their tabernacle is dissolved, and they are received among the spirits of just men made perfect, this is a liberty more glorious. But, while their bodies are imprisoned in the grave, the deliverance is not complete. They are, as yet, under thraldom. The promise of Christ to raise us up at the last day is yet unfulfilled. They have been delivered