A Pioneer of the New Church in Swit- Alloa, 92, 138, 188, 235, 543 An Old Author, 349 Apocalypse Revealed, 183 Aspects of Theological Thought among Auxiliary New Church Missionary and Birmingham, 37, 92, 188, 284, 498 Church Missionary Society, 278 Colonial and Foreign Missions, 493 St. Paul, Luther, and Wesley. By the General Convention of the New Jeru- Rev. R. Goldsack, 339 Supremacy of Man, The, 130 Talks to the Children, 36 Poetry. Apostrophe to Professor Tyndall on his Ministers' Aid and Sustentation Fund, Missionary and Tract Society (London), Testimonial to Mr. Gunton, 232, 390 The Nature and Extent of Theology at The Priest in Absolution, 389 United Methodist Free Churches, 279 Unity and Toleration in the Church, Wesley and Swedenborg, 342, 388 Wesleyan Methodism, Progress of, 134 National Missionary Institution, 39, Wesleyan Missionary Society, 279 88, 135 Presbyterianism in America, 389 Presentation to Mr. Gunton, 390 Progress of Religious Thought in Scot- Births. Marriages. Mr. George Lawrence Allbutt to Miss Mr. William Charnley to Miss Fanny Mr. Mark Fiddes to Mrs. Mary Ann Mr. Howard Wilkinson to Miss Jessie Mrs. Joseph Greenhalgh, 452 CREATION AS A WORK OF ORDER. THE contemplation of the works of God is an employment at once instructive, refining, and delightful. On His works the Almighty has left the impress of His own infinite mind; and in them may be traced His immensity and eternity, His goodness and wisdom; and not only on His works of creation, wonderful as these are, but on all His works, both of creation and providence, of redemption and salvation. "Many, O Lord, are Thy wonderful works." "O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works unto the children of men." We can only, however, contemplate the Divine works with due advantage, or praise the Lord for them aright, when we see them to be done in order; and truths are the laws of order, according to which the Almighty ever acts in all His works, and from which it is impossible for Him ever to deviate. Too much does the notion prevail, even in the religious world, that the operations of God are regulated by no determinate laws. Nay, many suppose that any such regulation would be an actual limitation of the Divine power. They will allow no line of action to be marked out for God, even by God Himself: all things are possible with Him, and it is His prerogative to do as He will. Upon such mistaken notions of the Divine power have been reared the wildest fancies and the grossest superstitions; and so far are they carried that a simple appeal to the Divine Omnipotence is often resorted to as a conclusive argument for any inconsistency, however great, respecting the designs and dealings of God. Highly necessary is it therefore to have some just conception of the important truth, that Divine order is the unalterable law of Divine operation; that all the Lord's works are done from order, in order, and to order; that order pervades them from first to last; that it is in the end, in the cause, and in the effect; that the Divine works are, in short, the outbirths of order, which the Divine Being Himself infinitely and essentially is. But we have no just idea of the order of creation without a knowledge of its end. Every work, whether human or Divine, must have an end and a cause; and the work itself, as to its essential quality, is necessarily such as the end and cause are, whatever the appearance may be. In every human action the actor has an end in view, and this end has its origin in the will. And when a man has once an end in view, he employs his understanding to devise the means by which it may be best accomplished. Every act therefore which a man performs, is the result of his will and understanding, or of his love and wisdom, for love is of the will, and wisdom is of the understanding. The same order which prevails in every human action must eminently exist in every Divine work; for as the human mind is an image of the Divine, its orderly operations must image those of the mind of God. In every Divine work, therefore, God must have an end in view, and that end must originate in the Divine will. But God makes use of means to bring his ends into effect, and these are necessarily the result of the Divine understanding. But what is the Divine will but Divine love? and what is the Divine understanding but Divine wisdom? Every work of God, therefore, as to its end or purpose, must originate in Divine and infinite love; and as to its cause, must be the result of infinite wisdom. No work or operation of God can possibly be effected in any other order than this. Divine love intends, Divine wisdom executes; so that every work of God must have the same end and the same cause. And as the Divine love can intend nothing but what is good, and the Divine wisdom can execute nothing but what is agreeable to the Divine love, so nothing can ever proceed from God but what is essentially, infinitely good, and in its nature perfectly adapted to the end. Intending in this paper to consider the work of creation as a means originating in such an end, and perfectly adapted to effect its |