St$M. kl:] THE FELICITY OF CREATURES. tures are 'possessed of, according to their advancing ap- proaches toward God : But my meditations dilate them- selves here to so large an extent, as makes it necessary to adjourn this thought to the next discourse. I proceed therefore to the H. Reflection. What unknown evil is contained in the nature of every sin, for it divides the creature from God and from happiness ? It may be said to every soul on earth, as it was once said to Israel; Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, Is. lix. 2. What a world of endless mischief was comprized in the first sin of Adam, whereby this lower creation `was, as it were, cut off fromGod at once ? Man was at first happy in the image and love of his Maker, a-kin to him by na- ture and creation, as a son to a father : Adam was the Son of God ; Luke iii. 38. and he enjoyed the privilege and the pleasure of holy nearness to God, and humble converse with hirh. He read the name of his Maker in all. his works; he could contemplate divine wisdom, power,. and goodness, there; he loved his Creator with allhis soul, and was happy in his Creator's love. But when sin entered, Adam fled from his heavenly Father, and his friend; he hid himself among the trees in the garden, when the voice of the Lord called after him, Adam, where art thou? And it has been the dismal de- scription ofsinners eversince, that they are afar off from God. O what tongue can express, or what heart can con- ceive, the immense.load, and everlasting train of mis- chiefs andmiseries, that lie heavy on poor mankind, and have pursued human nature, in all the infinite members and branches of it, through all ages and nations, for al- most six thousand years? All these were introduced by man's first disobedience. We are a sinful race of crea- tures, born in the likeness of the original sinner; We come into the world estranged from God, and go astray from the womb; for we were shapen in iniquity, and conceived in sin ; Ps. Iviii. 3. and li. 5. It is the tem- per and .spirit of mankind, by nature, to desire an ab- sence fromGod, and to wish their own misery ; Job xxi. 14, 15. What is the Almighty that we should.serve him Departfrom us, for wedesire not the knowledge ofthy ways. .By nature we love him not, nor do we seek, after 03
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