might not perish in the ruins of the fallthat you might become his lawful property, purchased you "not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood, with the excruciating agonies, and accursed death of his own beloved Son." How strikingly evident therefore is it, that "ye are not your own," and that, being bought with this inestimable price, it, becomes you to "glorify God," and to submit to his dominion, both in your bodies and in your souls which are his!

But if this be the case, how is it that any of you are backward in submitting to the Lord's dominion, and are preferring the dominion of your own evil dispositions-of sin, the world, the flesh, and the Devil, to the just authority of God? Oh! is it not extremely ungrateful?-is it not the height of absurdity?--is it not inconceivably wicked to renounce the authority of that God who made you-who sustains you every momentto whom you are indebted for every favour, and who has purchased you with the blood of his beloved Son? May the Lord awaken you to a real sense of the awful nature of this conduct, and lead you, during your future days, to bow with sweet submission to his Sovereign Authority! It may now be proper to consider,

II. The nature of God's dominion over us.

The Laws he has enacted for the regulation of our conduct-the method of Salvation which he has appointed for us-his providential interference in national occurrences-and his regulating the minutest circumstances of individuals, clearly exhibit the nature of his dominion over us.

Before we enter on these particulars, we may just notice the extensiveness of God's authority over other Beings, as well as that which is exercised over us. It extends over all creatures, not only on earth, but also in heaven and in hell. Could we take a view. of the celestial world, and contemplate the myriads of blessed inhabitants there, we should see them all acknowledging him as their Supreme Lord:-We should observe. them, "whether they were thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers," bowing in sweet subjection to him, as their gracious Sovereign. And were we to dive into the depths beneath, and visit the doleful regions of spirits for ever lost-lo! there should we behold his dominion exerted, and the sceptre of his authority making the Devils to tremble.

But we turn our thoughts to the dominion which he exercises over ourselves, and the inhabitants of this world. The nature of it may be seen, first, in the Laws which he has enacted for the regulation of our conduct. God, by virtue of his right of authority over

us, has enacted Laws for the regulation of our conduct, which are in every respect "holy, just, and good," and which cannot be broken without incurring his wrath and heavy displeasure*. These Laws point out our duty toward God and each other. Those which relate to God, require us to "love him with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strengtht." Consequently they require us to avoid in heart, in conversation, and in every action, whatsoever is displeasing to him; and to observe, with the minutest exactness, the various exercises of religion;-such as the worship of God, the sacred duties of the Sabbath, searching the Scriptures, &c. from a principle of supreme love to his name. duties which we owe to each other, require us "to love our neighbours as ourselves, and to do unto others as we would they should do unto us," under similar circumstances. Hence we are forbidden to injure our fellow creatures either in body, mind, or estate, by taking advantage of their ignorance-by defaming their character-by dishonesty in our dealings, &c. and are required to promote each other's temporal and spiritual welfare, as much as lieth in us.

Those

Romans, ch. vii. ver. 13. Galatians, ch. iii. ver 10.

† Deuteronomy, ch. vi. ver. 5.

This, my brethren, is one branch of the dominion which God, as our Supreme Governor, thinks proper to exercise over us. Allow me to ask, Have you reason to believe that you are submitting to it as you ought? Do you think, that those persons who break God's Sabbaths-who scarcely ever pray to him, except in a formal manner-who take his holy and reverend Name in vain-and who are lovers of this world, more than lovers of God, properly submit to his authority?-Do such characters love him with all their heart, and soul, and strength?And are those men, who can curse and swear at each other-who can tempt each other to drunkenness and the various sins of the flesh, really obedient to the divine authority? Are they, who live in malice and envywho indulge a quarrelsome, unforgiving spirit, under due subjection to that Government, which requires them to "love one another with a pure heart fervently*?" You are, I am persuaded, convinced to the contrary. You know that, in the very nature of things, such persons cannot be considered obedient to the dominion of God. And yet, perhaps, some of you are of this unhappy number. Is it really so?

Do

your consciences answer in the affirmative? If this be the case-for the sake of your

I Peter, ch. i. ver. 22.

precious and never-dying souls, be alarmed with a sense of your condition-pray that God would give you a scriptural view of your state before him; and Oh! take the advice of one who affectionately feels for you-Flee by faith and prayer unto Jesus Christ, as the only deliverer of sinners from the wrath to come.

This reminds me that the nature of God's dominion further appears in the method of salvation which he has appointed for us. Having, by our want of conformity to his holy Law, exposed ourselves to its dreadful curse, the Almighty in sovereign mercy provided a redemption for our souls. This redemption was effected by the humiliation, obedience, sufferings, and death of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He set him forth to be the propitiation for our sins:-He appointed him as a substitute to bear our curse, to reconcile us to himself, to rescue us from our deserved misery, and to bring us safely to glory. And now, as our Supreme Governor, he requires us, on pain of losing our souls, to embrace by faith this plan of Salvation. "This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ." "He that believeth shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned*." Thus we have another view of

* 1 John, ch. iii, ver. 23. Mark, ch. xvi. ver. 16.