his providence towards them, and and express that patience and submission, which the prophet did, when he said, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned, until he plead my cause and execute judgment for me." But they have great ground to fear, that they shall misimprove and abuse divine corrections and instructions, and come forth from the furnace of affliction, not like gold purified and refined; but like what men call reprobate silver, because the Lord has rejected them. Those who are externally afflicted have reason to tremble for fear, lest they shall refuse to learn obedience by the things they suffer, and to humble themselves under the right hand of God, which can save or destroy. Trials and afflictions are the most powerful means God ever employs to soften or harden the hearts of men. When they sensibly feel, that he is using these powerful means with them, they have reason to realize their critical and dangerous condition. They may now be hearing the loudest and most solemn calls to submission, repentance, reformation, and obedience, that they ever will hear before they meet the king of terrors and lie down in everlasting sorrow. The afflicted are, to be pitied, not only only on account of their suffering, but more especially on account of their dangerous situation. They are in extreme danger of turning off their attention from God, and eternity, and he never fails of answering his original designs. He afflicted and bereaved Job for his good. He brought him to a cordial and unreserved submission to his bereaving and correcting hand, and eventually caused light to arise out of darkness, joy out of sorrow, and good out of all the evils he suffered. He tried, afflicted, scourged, and taught Manasseh, by the briars and thorns, till he hum. bled himself greatly, returned to him cordially, and became his dutiful and obedient servant. But God designed in chastising Pharaoh time after time, to prepare him for his final overthrow; and he designed in chastising the frow ard Israelites year after year, for forty years together, not to prepare them to enter Canaan, but to fall and perish in the wilderness. In all these instances, God answered his different purposes of making some better and some worse, some the vessels of mercy and some the vessels of wrath. And he always means to answer the one, or the other of these purposes in chastising and instructing both saints and sinners. He tells them plainly, that so long as they are in affliction, they are in a state of trial, and that their trials will do them good or hurt, accordingly as they improve or misimprove them. If they are wise, they will neither despise the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when they are rebuked of him. They will feel the salvation of their souls, and fixing their eyes, and hearts, and hopes upon the foolish, hurtful, and ensnaring object of this world, which drown men in remediless perdition. 6. It appears from what has been said, that those whom God -internally as well as externally teaches by the afflictive dispensations of providence, have great reason to be thankful. for his spiritual instructions. Sanctified af flictions are among the richest of divine favours. David gratefully acknowledged, that it had been good for him that he had been afflicted. The primitive christians often expressed their gratitude for the afflictions they were called to suffer. The apostle says to the Romans, "We glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation 'worketh patience; and pa.ience, experience, & experience hope." He says to the Corinthians, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." a source of hope and happiness in this life, are affic. tions to those who wisely improve them; and this source of happiness never fails but continues through the endless ages of eternity. Saint John says in his vis Such ion of heaven, "I beheld, and lo, a great mul itude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues stood before the th: one, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen; Blessing, and glory and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes ? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said. unto me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." What a rich and receive any benefit from their afJasting source of happiness are flictions, if they neglect to pray, that God would teach them to profit? Can any parents expect, that the death of a son or daugh ter will be sanctified to them, if sanctified afflictions to those who wisely improve them to the glory of God and to their own good! Well might the primitive christians glory in tribulations, they neglect, secret and family prayer ? Can children expect, that the death of a father or moth er, brother or sister will be sanctified to them, if they neglect to pray that they may be taught of God? How many afflicted and prayerless families are in this place? and how many more afflict ed and prayerless persons dwell among this people? All such persons and families are hardening their hearts and preparing themselves for heavier afflictions, or remediless destruction. It is time for all the afflicted, all the stupid, all the impenitent, and all the unbelieving, to rise and call upon God to prepare them for death and eternity. while they saw with the eye of faith, the future and everlasting good which should flow from them. Good men never enjoy a better opportunity to promote their tem⚫ poral, spiritual, and eternal interests, than while God himself is teaching them in the furnace of affliction. You have heard of the faith of Abraham and of the patience of Job. Their extraordinary faith and patience were the happy fruits of their no less extraordinary trials and afflictions. Saints like the palm tree, are the most flourishing and fruitful under the lowest depressions. They are then the best capable and best disposed to receive the best instructions from the word and providence of God. The whole tenor of this discourse now teaches all the afflicted, to pray for divine teaching For the Christian Magazine. EXEGESIS OF ROMANS, 8, 19.-For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. The sons of God, evidently mean christians—those, who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. As many as are led by If any are afflicted, let them pray." This is a command of God which binds old and young, high and low, saints and sinners. If God has taken away a son or daughter from any, let them pray. If God has taken away a father or mother from any, let them the Spirit of God, they are the pray. If God has taken away a sons of God." Through the spirit brother or sister from any, Let of adoption, they cry, Abba, Fathem pray. Can any expect to ther. "The Spirit, itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we the creature waiteth for the mani are the children of God and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ." By the manifestation of the sons of God, is meant a lucid and full dis. play of christian character and enjoyment. The lives of christians do make some manifestation of their relation to the great Jeho vah; and they have some measure of the sweets of this blessed relaAt the same time, it must be confessed, that, as they are sanctified, but in part-and have much remaining sin, they make but a slight, a very imperfect manifestation of christian character and enjoyment. And their number has, hitherto, been comparatively small. tion. festation of the sons of God." The principal difficulty is, to as certain that, which is exegetical of "The creature, in this, and the three following verses. I have met with nothing, in any commer tary, which satisfies my mind on the subject. With deference to those, who have critically attended to the subject and given their opinion, I would suggest an explanation; which appears to accord with the context and other scriptures. It is, that by the creature, is meant the new creature-one, who has been, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, that is, a true christian. The following, are some of the reasons for this opinion. 1. The connection in which, the creature is introduced. The apostle had been speaking of christrans. He had declared, that there is no condemnation to them that, by their union to Christ, through the influence of the Spirit, they are made free from sin and death-that they are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit It is an event exceedingly desirable, that Zion should be enlarg. ed, and that the character of the Sons of God should be more distinctly marked. This is the event expected and waited for, according to the text. In anticipation of it, the apostle was comforted and animated. Though he suffered and Zion suffered--and the world was lying in wicked- that they are debtors, through ness; yet, he looked forward and the spirit, to mortify the deeds of beheld a bright display of glory the body-that they are the sons and blessedness. Hence he obser- of God-that they have the spirit ved, "I reckon, that the suffer- of adoption--that they are heirs ings of this present time are not of God and joint-heirs with worthy to be compared with the Christ, &c. In this connection, glory, which shall be revealed in without any intimation of a change us." In this connection, he penned in the character the creature is the passage under consideration. mentioned. And not only, withFor the earnest expectation of out any intimation of a change in the character, but with a clear in- perfectly accords with the chris. tian character. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly." Paul, with manifest application to christians, in general, said, "For that which I do I allow not; for what I would that do I not, but what I hate, that do 1." The christian is subject to vanity, not willingly-that is, sin and its consequences are not agreeable to the spiritual, the renewed mind; but are the fruits of the flesh, or the remaining carnal disposition. Hence, subjects are applied to christians, and they are addressed, either as carnal; or, as spiritual; or, as partaking of both dispositions.What is here said of the creature, as relates to moral character, does strictly apply to christians; but, it is believed will apply to no other being in the Uni timation, that the same character is continued. The apostle declares, in the verse, inmediately preceding the passage, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory, which shall be revealed in us." Then add, For the earnest expectation of the creature, &c. The very connection would lead us to expect a continuation of the same character, which had been the principal subject of the chapter, an especially, of the verse immediately preceding.This is the christian character; which more than intimates that, the creature and christians are synonymous. 2. The moral character of the creature, exactly corresponds with that of the christian. The creature is represented, as earnestly expecting, and waiting, with intense desire, for the manifestation of the sons of God. That is, to see christians act in character and shine as lights in the world--to see converts multiplied, as the drops of morning dew. And do not christians desire and expect, labour and pray for the same blessing? Do they not expect, that the sons of God will be more distinctly and glorious manifested, in this world, than they have ever been; and that, in the world to come, they will be perfectly manifested? The description, given of the creature in the twenty-first verse, verse. The description of the creature in verse twenty-two is applica ble to christians. "The whole creature, or every creature groaneth and travaileth in pain to gether until now." Christians groan being burdened with their own sins. They agonize when they contemplate the sinful and wretched state of the world.-Pangs, on this account, like those of a travailing woman, run through the whole body of Christians. The twenty-third verse contains a striking confirmation of our opinion. And not only they, but ourselves also, who have the |