THIS paſſage of the word of God, carries the mind above generals, to the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, whoſe character, ability and perfection are ſuch, that ſhould the compariſon be made, all the generals, nobles and kings of the earth, yea, and all the kingdoms of this and of all other worlds, would become as the drop of the bucket, or the unnoticed d •• t of the balance. Hence this doctrine: God is all and in all.

For proof of this doctrine let us conſider how created exiſtences came into being. The LORD GOD ſaid, let them be, and they were. This is demonſtration that God was all and in all in creation. For further proof of the Doctrine, let us view the government of the world, here as well as in creation it will be evident that God is all and in all. When God would have a choſen people in the world, he took Abraham their anceſtor and carried him ſafely through all his pilgrimage in the land, afterward to be peopled with his deſcendants. No enemy harmed him, for God was his ſhield and defence. When five kings combined and wrought wickedneſs, for which God thought beſt to puniſh them, Abraham and his family were a ſufficient hoſt in the hand of Omnipotence to vanquiſh the combined forces, liberate their captives and recover the ſpoil they were carrying off. God was all and in all, in protecting and defending Iſaac and Jacob with their families, while as pilgrims and ſtrangers, they ſojourned among their enemies. When God's people were reduced to the moſt abject ſlavery in Egypt, he raiſed up Moſes with all the talents, furniſhed with all the accompliſhments neceſſary to effect what he then would have done. God with this noble inſtrument in his hand emancipated Iſrael, ſpoiled the Egyptains, yea, and conducted his choſen nation through the ſea, through the wilderneſs within ſight of the promiſed land. And before he diſmiſſed Moſes, he had prepaired a more ſuitable character to be inſtrumental in conquering and ſettling Canaan in the perſon of Joſhua. This chain of Gods inſtrument whom he raiſed up and qualified to effect thoſe things which were done through the periods of the Judges and Kings of Iſreal, might be traced to advantage, in ſhewing that God is all and in all.

But let us now attend to proof of the doctrine contained in the text. The text looks to the period when Iſrael had been nearly ſeventy years in captivity, when God had puniſhed that nation for their wickedneſs according to his former threatenings, to the time when he had purpoſed to redeem them from captivity and bring them back to Jeruſalem. Therefore, God prepares for himſelf a character exactly ſuited to the occaſion, to be the inſtrument in this great work; yea and out of the heathen world too he makes to himſelf a general, furniſhed with all the arts of war, neceſſary to be the inſtrument in his hand in overturning Babylon that mighty empire, which had been miſtreſs of the world many years. When Cyrus laid ſiege to the city of Babylon, ſuch was the ſtrength and height of its walls, that the inhabitants ſo far from being terrified at the ſiege, made a ſcoff and deriſion of the general and his army. The river Euphrates ran through the middle of Babylon, paſſing under the wall through arches: each ſide of this river, or on each bank within the city were walls of ſimilar ſtrength to thoſe that ſurrounded the city, and in thoſe walls at the bottom of every ſtreet were brazen gates through which the inhabitants paſſed to the river; the conſtant practice was to have theſe gates ſtand open by day, and to have them ſhut and faſt barred by night. The way in which Cyrus took the city was; he turned the courſe of the river above the city, cauſing all the waters to leave the natural channel, then made two diviſions of his army and entered the city on both ſides at once in the channel of the river, and paſſing up and down the channel, found all the brazen gates open, which gave him an opportunity to attack all parts of the city at once. Here was fulfilled the promiſe of God in the text, I will looſe the loins of kings to open before him the two leaved gates, and the gates ſhall not be ſhut—I will brake in pieces the gates of braſs and cut in ſunder the bars of Iron. Thus Cyrus in one night became maſter of Babylon and all her hidden treaſures, he overturned the Babylonian empire, and erected the Perſian. This revolution threw captive Iſrael into the hands of the conquering General. Now look at the finger of God, and realize that he is all and in all. The iron ſavage heart of the hero Cyrus, that yeſterday was bent on making all the world ſlaves to himſelf, to day, in the hand of God, is melted down ſo as to ſay to captive Iſrael, be free, go, return to your own land, carry with you the rich treaſure brought hither from Jeruſalem, rebuild your temple and city; and lo! ye have alſo the aid and aſſiſtance of me and my ſubjects! What an event this! and how ſtriking a proof that God is all and in all. But for more ſenſible proof of the truth of our doctrine, we will come down to things which we have ſeen, and humbly hope we ſhall all be feelingly convinced that God is all and in all.

Our anceſtors, to enjoy peaceably their religion, left their native land, croſſed the untraverſed ocean, under the guiding hand of God, and ſettled the borders of this then ſavage land. God fought their battles with the ſavages as our fathers tell us, and in his hand his little flock was ſafe. Under the care of ſuch a Shepherd the flock ſoon became numerous like Iſrael of old, was great and goodly, ſo as to be ſeen acroſs the broad Atlantic with a jealous and envious eye by its parent. She not like other parents, diſowned her child, and not only refuſed to give it nouriſhment, but with rapacious hand, attempted to ſnatch what the infant had itſelf gathered for its own ſupport. The infant held its hard acquired morſel faſt. What followed? The monſter, for I will no longer call her parent, drew the glittering ſword, and ſheathed it in the infants heart, and called it rebel. But to diſmiſs the allegory: God was about to make another nation in the world; and for materials, he choſe the Britiſh Colonies in America, the then moſt weak, and as to the arts of war moſt unexperienced part of the nation, which like Babylon of old had long been the terror of the world. The whole nation beſides the Colonies, not to mention the multitudes ſcattered throughout them who did The conduct of thoſe people called tories, who at the commencement of the war with Britain, ſtayed in America to inform the Britiſh of thoſe things, which would injure the American cauſe, and afford the enemy the beſt means to carry into effect their wicked purpoſes, may fairly be ſaid to act a much worſe part than the Britiſh nation. worſe, flew to arms to cruſh the The term rebellion was altogether unſuitably applied in the commencement of the war. For the Americans only aſked for their charter rights, and this they did too without any weapons of war in their hands. They were ſuppliant till their blood was murderouſly ſpilled. And for a long time after they only repelled force by force, with a view to obtain their juſt rights, till Britain forced them to declare themſelves independent. rebellion, as they termed it, and bind faſt in ſlaveries galling chains Americans. But it was all in vain, for God who is all and in all, was about to give birth to, perhaps, the moſt important nation on earth, and he had his inſtrument all prepared. He had his General made and furniſhed with every talent, with every qualification neceſſary to take the field, and at the head of ſuch men, for we cannot with propriety ſay ſoldiers, as the Colonies afforded, he baffled the councils, defeated and captured the armies, and lay proſtrate the pride of haughty Britain.

Americans, this was the work of God, who is all, and in all, and in this work WASHINGTON was his noble creature, made of God to be an inſtrument in freeing you from the oppreſſive tyranny of Britian's haughty Monarch. Yes, let it be realized, let it be felt in every heart that God was all and in all, in raiſing up and in qualifying our beloved WASHINGTON to do this important ſervice for the nation. God in his providence furniſhed him with wiſe and good councillors, and with all the help he enjoyed, he did all for him, and carried him on, ſhielding him in his hand in the crimſon field, and filling his mind with the whole ſyſtem of tactics until as a General he ſtood unrivalled. With WASHINGTON as the chief inſtrument, God hath made a nation which of its age, hath not an equal. This done, the benevolent father of mercies was pleaſed to continue his noble creature ſtill a rich bleſſing to the nation, to be an inſtrument in forming our execellent conſtitution.

This being done, and the nation having adopted it; here again God was all and in all, in qualifying our beloved WASHINGTON for that office in ſtate to which he was unanimouſly called by his fellow citizens. Finally, it was God who made all the difference which there was between our beloved and never to be forgotten WASHINGTON, and the greateſt idiot in the land.

Long did God favor this happy land with all the talents, with all the virtues that ſhone in his creature WASHINGTON.

But at length the period arrived, when this, like all other temporal bleſſings muſt be taken away by the ſame hand. The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away, and it becomes the whole nation to ſay, bleſſed be the name of the LORD, for it is in righteouſneſs he afflicts us, as a nation: we deſerve not only this, but much heavier judgement. We ought to realize that the death of this great and eminently uſeful man, is a puniſhment for our ſins, and to be humble before God; yea, and it is ſuitable that we ſhould accept the puniſhment of our iniquities. "Shall we receive good at the hand of the LORD and ſhall we not receive evil." The evil we deſerve, but the good we merit not, it is therefore mercy. Should we as a nation, ſuitably conduct under this afflicting ſtroke of God, ſhould it lead us to true repentance and engage us in the ſervice of God, we may with confidence look to and truſt in the great all and in all, to raiſe us up another WASHINGTON, ſhould he be needed to lead forth our warriors to battle, to be an inſtrument in his hand to do us the good we may need. And in the midſt of our grief for our departed friend, and ſorrowing under the rod of God, it becomes us to be truly grateful to God for the bleſſing we mourn the loſs of. We are not to view WASHINGTON as a God, nor as a Saviour, becauſe he was only a man, and as a man he is dead, but our God and our Saviour are alive, and will live forever. Therefore let us view WASHINGTON as a man, and as ſuch mourn his loſs: and as he was confeſſedly one of the greateſt and moſt uſeful of men, as ſuch, he though dead, will live in the memory of his fellow citizens. And his character in this point of view, will ever ſtand a ſuitable example for imitation. Would the youth of our land wiſh to live reſpected, would they arrive to the height of earthly greatneſs, and die univerſally lamented, let them look at the example WASHINGTON has ſet, and go and do likewiſe. But would they wiſh to arrive to that felicity and glory, to which the human ſoul may arrive: let them look to a greater than a WASHINGTON, and imitate the example which he has ſet, even Jeſus Chriſt, then they may be aſſured of not only ſuch preferment, reſpect and veneration as WASHINGTON has on earth, but alſo the approbation of their God and Judge, and the enjoyment without end, of ſuch bleſſedneſs as eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man to conceive of. AMEN.