of holiness. In fuch an expofed | fituation the proficiency of Chriftians cannot be great. They need the whole armour of God. Befides: This forgetfulness of God muft cut off the believer from all pleas to excufe his unprofitableness in religion, and faften the blame wholly on himself. Why is he not more holy and weaned from the world?-more faithful to God and men?-and more like one who is a humble candidate for the holy and delightful employments of heaven? The mischief is, his eye is turned off from God, the centre of attraction, and is deeply captivated with diverfe vanities. Hence, when the remembrance of God returns, he has nothing to fay: He finks into trouble. church in the past, prefent and ocean. How great these will be, An important question may arife here, which it will not be amifs to answer. "Why is not the believer, in his remembrance of God, utterly overcome with def-apart-All the families that repair? He has no excufe for his fin, and he is exceedingly criminal." The anfwer is, " He would be overwhelmed, were it not for the confideration, There is an advocate with the Father, even Jefus Chrift the righteous." This is his refort, his fheet anchor to support his fpirits under prefent troubles. The fame will be his support and defence in the day of judgment. Otherwife, he would fink into the glooms of endless defpair. Such an anchor is fufficient; it is fure and stedfast, and entereth into that within the vail, where no evil can intrude. If fo, how ungrateful must be all forgetfulness of Chrift in believers, and all difrefpect fhewn to his perfon and intereft! How ought Chriftians to live, Chrift living in them! Finally; the fame caufe will account for the visible state of the VOL. III. No. II. main, every family apart, and their wives apart." What now would be the fhock, were the remembrance of God thoroughly impreffed on the minds of Christians every where? I believe, it would open a fcene before the world as surprising as ever has been fince the church was first planted on the earth. Would we escape the ftorm, we muft fet God always before us, and live as becomes the gofpel. Then the remembrance of God, inftead of giving pain, will begin a heaven of holy enjoyment, which will increafe, and ripen up into the full enjoyment of God in his blissful prefence forevermore. (To be continued.) FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- Iii for the righteous; and the tranfgreflor for the upright.” F tion. The precious life of Chrift was given a ranfom; and he did it voluntarily he was moved to do it from love, from his infinite compaffion. The wicked are improved as a ranfom for the righteous, they pay prices for their redemption, when they do not mean fo, neither do their hearts think fo. They are in God's hands-they are his property, and he often improves them to promote the temporal and eternal happiness of his dear people. In his providence, he has made it appear, that their property, their talents, and their lives, are at his difpofal, and that he has a right to make use of them for the prefervation, the fafety, and the enlargement, of his holy and spiritual kingdom on earth. Numerous as the wicked have been in the paft ages of the world, and nume EW paffages in the holy fcriptures have oftener been propofed for explication than this. It contains two clauses, which are evidently of the fame import; the idea being expreffed in different language to give it the more emphafis and weight. In fome parts of the infpired writings, efpecially in the book of Pfalms, repetitions of this kind are not uncommon.It will be neceffary in the first place to ascertain the meaning of the word ranfom. This word, as ufed by the inspired writers, generally means a price paid for redemption. Thus Chrift is faid to give his life a ranfom for many --and to give his life a ranfom for all. The idea communicated is this-Chrift gave his own life, as a price paid for the redemp-rous as they are now, and as they tion of finners. No perfon can be faid to be given as a ransom for another, unlefs he be improved as a mean of working deliverance, fafety, or redemption for another. The way is now prepared to ftate the great difficulty contained in the paffage under confideration -How can the wicked be a ranfom, a fubftitute, or a mean of bringing about the redemption of the righteous ?-How can the tranfgreffor be improved to advance the good, yea the eternal falvation of the upright? If we can give rational and feriptural anfwers to these questions, we can folve all the difficulties which can be propofed from the paffage before us. probably will be in ages to come, God will not eventually lose honor and glory by them. He will make it appear that he was wise in their creation, and in permitting their apoftacy and perfeverance in rebellion. He will make the wrath of man praise him. That the wicked are given a ransom for the righteous, or improved as a mean of promoting their safety, and bringing about their redemption, will be proved by adverting to inftances recorded in facred hiftory. These instances are numerous; the following only will be mentioned. 1. The Egyptians were given a ranfom for God's people, the defcendants of Abraham. It is truly wonderful to meditate on the wifdom, power and fovereignty of God in this inftance. He made The wicked do not atone for the fins of the righteous, as Chrift has done, by his fufferings and death -neither do they ever intention-ufe of the labor, the property and ally pay any price, not even the leaft, to bring about their redemp the lives of this heathen people for the good of his chofen people, the Jews. He gave the Egyp- | prefervation of a kingdom, in tians plenty, that the church might be fupported through their means, and by their hands; and that in this way the former might bcome a ranfom for the latter. Doubtlefs God had power to preferve and support Ifrael in the land of Canaan; but to make displays of his holy fovereignty, he chofe that they fhould be fed and nourished in Egypt. Infinite wifdom devifed means to accomplish this,—and the means were fuch as Ifrael would never have thought of. Jofeph, the favorite fon of Jacob, was hated and fold by his brethren, to be carried as a flave into Egypt, to prepare the way for that heathen people to make out a ranfom for the righteous. Here God gave him favor, and brought him before the king. It was fo ordered in providence, that Pharaoh fhould have very extraordinary dreams, fuch as greatly troubled him, and that Jofeph fhould give fuch an interpretation of them, as deeply to imprefs the mind of Pharaoh with its truth. In confequence of which Pharaoh gave orders, that the feven years of plenty fhould be faithfully and induftriously improved in laying up ftores; which, as it afterwards appeared, were to be improved as a ranfom for God's people. To preferve the church was the great end providence had in view, in difpofing the Egyptians to labor and toil fo abundantly, and to heap together fuch vaft treasures of wealth. God made Pharaoh esteem and admire Jofeph, which paved the way for the treasures of the heathen to be opened, and voluntarily opened, for the fupport of a people among whom God had fet up his holy and fpiritual kingdom. Here we behold the wicked paying a price for the which they did not wish to be interefted. A holy and fovereign God gave their labor, and their wealth, a ranfom for the righte ous. In the chain of events, to which I have now alluded, and which brought falvation to the church, there were many links, in themselves myfterious, and painful beyond all expreffion; but jofeph faw, in every one, the hand and the wifdom of God. He acknowledged it to his brethren, when their minds were perplexed and embarraffed, in reflecting on the bafe and criminal part, which they had acted. "As for you ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as at this day, to fave much people alive." Jofeph plainly intimated as much, as that the labor and wealth of the wicked and idolatrous Egyptians were given a ranfom for Ifrael. For the fame purpofe their lives were eventually given. Pharaoh, after beholding a feries of miracles, exhibited in most pointed judgments against himself, was cut off and all his hoft, for the fake of God's chofen people. It is true nothing more came upon them than what they deferved, and fully deferved; yet they were cut off, at this time, for the fake of the righteous--they were given a ranfom for them. In this light the Pfalmift celebrated their deftruction, in the 136th Pfalm To him which divided the Red Sea into parts; for his mercy endureth forever. And made Ifrael to pass through the midst of it for his mercy endureth forever. But overthrew Pharaoh and his boft in the Red Sea : for his mercy endureth forever. Here the awful event of overthrowing Pharaoh and his hoft in the Red Sea, confifting probably of many thousands of This was truly the cafe, though fouls, is called a manifestation-afhe, with her houfe, was faved by faith. It ought, however, to be obferved, that the Canaanites, by their grofs idolatry and wicked. nefs, deserved all this. The ini and a holy and fovereign God gave all they poffeffed to his people-not because his people had deferved it, for to them it was a difplay of marvellous grace. display of God's mercy. How could this be? It may be anfwered, they were given a ransom for the righteous. Their deftruction was the falvation of God's people.quity of the Amorite was full, In the 43d chapter of Ifaiah this event is fpoken of in language, which perfectly correfponds with the plain and literal fenfe of the portion of fcripture, now propofed for explication.-For I am the Lord thy God, the holy One of If rael, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ranfom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou waft precious in my fight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore, will I give men for thee and people for thy life. When we hear God faying to the church, as we do in this paffage, I gave Egypt for thy ranfom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee and that because thou art precious, I will give men for thee, and people for thy life-when we hear God faying this to the church, we need not hesitate in determining how the wicked fhall be a ranfum for the righteous, and the tranfgref-Mount Lebanon, from Mount Bafor for the upright. 3. While the greatest part of the Canaanites were cut off for the fake of the church, fome were left to prove them, and to promote their redemption in this way. This part of God's wonderful providence is mentioned in the 3d Chap. of Judges. Now thefe are the nations which the Lord left to prove Ifrael by them, (even as many of Ifrael as had not known all the wars of Canaan; only that the generations might know to teach them war, at the leaft, fuch as before knew nothing thereof;) namely five lords of the Philiftines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in al-bermon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were to prove Ifrael by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Mofes. Thus a holy and fovereign God faved fome of the Philiftines alive for the fake of his people, to be inftruments of try 2. The ancient inhabitants of Canaan were given a ransom for God's church. Though numerous and powerful, God made them feel, as if they had no Atrength to ftand before Ifrael. Rahab, the harlot, acknowledged to the fpies before the children of Ifrael made their appearance, that their land, their wealth, their ci-ing and proving their faith. ties which, perhaps, they had been hundreds of years in building, and even their lives, were given by God to Ifrael. She had heard of God's giving the wicked a ranfom for the righteous, and adverted to inftances which had come to her knowledge, and fhe had faith that he would do it again. Strictly speaking, these very nations that were faved alive, as well as thofe which were cut off, were given a ranfom for the righteous. God made use of them for the good of his people. How unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways paft finding out! 4. The fcriptures furnish us The with inftances of God's plunging | probably, will be the executioners the wicked into the fame evils, of each other. Nation will rife which they had maliciously plot-up againft nation, and they will ted to bring on the righteous; bite and devour one another. The and, in this way, they are given meek will inherit the earth. a ranfom for them. In the reign wicked will be given a ransom for of Ahasuerus, the Perfian, a de- them, or, in other words, the cree was obtained, and ratified by wicked will be removed from their the king, that on a certain day all poffeffions to make way for God's the Jews fhould be flain by the people, the church. Therefore, fword. This being a decree of it is faid in the 37th Pfalm-For the king, and fealed with his fig- yet a little while, and the wicked net, it appeared impoffible, in the Shall not be yea thou shalt diligenteye of reafon, to prevent its exe-ly confider his place, and it shall not cution. But a holy God prevented it; for on the very fame day in which the Jews were to be cut off, their wicked enemies were given a ransom for them. The righteous were delivered out of of trouble, and the wicked came in his ftead. In the days of the prophet Daniel, a fimilar event took place. The enemies of Daniel obtained a decree, which was defigned to bring about his destruction ; but the very fame decree effected their own deftruction. Righteous Daniel was delivered out of trouble, and the wicked came in his ftead. And the king commanded, and they 5. The fcriptures speak of a time, when all the wicked, in every part of the world, will give place to the righteous. God will give this whole earth to his people. To prepare the way for this, it is probable that thousands and millions of the wicked will be cut off. In many inftances, they Moft be. But the meck fhall inherit the 6. In the folemn day of ac counts, it will appear that all things were made to fubferve the intereft of the Redeemer's kingdom, and this will be enjoyed by the righteous. The Lord hath made the righteous and the wicked for himself, and by them he will glorify himself. And as the righteous are interested in his glory, it may be faid the wickedness of the wicked will be over-ruled for the advancement of their future happiness and glory. All things |