DISCOURSE ON The GREATNESS, AND PRAISE OF THE LORD Compofed and delivered, By GERRIT LYDEKKER, A. B. A NEW-Y E W-YORK, Printed by Samuel Brown, at the Foot of Potbaker's-Hill, between the New-De Church, and Fly-Market. 1766, A DISCOURSE, & PSALM, cxlv. 3. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised M AY the Uncreated, Eternal, only, True, Omnipotent, Allfufficient, infinitely Great, infinitely Good, and moft tranfcendently glorious JEHOVAH, be graciously pleafed to do for, and give to this Auditory, now in a folemn Manner convened, exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, for the Sake of the infinitely meritorious Paffion, and abfolutely perfect Attonement of his most dearly beloved Son our LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, only to the Honour, Glory and Praife of his own great Name, which is exalted above all Bleffing and Praife. AMEN! Of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all Things; To whom be Glory for ever. Amen This most important Leffon occurs Rom. xi. 36, (1). By all Things, which are here faid to be of, through and to Him, that is, to God, we may in general understand, not only the eternal, immutable, divinely wife, very beft and most perfect poffible Decree of God; but also the Execution of the fame, in the Creation, and everlasting Confervation and Goverment of all Things for the Manifeftation of his own Glory. I fay, Everlasting Confervation and Government of all Things, or of all Creatures: For, that the Divine Providence is exercifed eternally in the Execution of the Divine Decree, an verlaßing Heaven, an everlasting Hell, not to fay, Reafon, Scripture, the Attributes and very Nature of God, all render inconteftibly and moft infallibly certain. Moft admirable, most perfect, moft holy, moft divine Decree! And how most amazing to reflect, that whatever has been, whatever is, and whatever fhall be even throughout all the Ages of a never, never ending Eternity, fhould have been all therein fore ordained, immutably fixed, and confequently foreseen by the moft blessed GOD even from all Eternity! (2) But more particularly, By All Things, we understand all Creatures without any Exception whatsoever, which conftitute the regular, harmonious, beautiful, grand, glorious, and most perfect poffible Syftem of Heaven and Earth, or of the whole Univerfe, Now when when the Apoftle affirms that all thefe Things are of God, he evidently teaches us, that God is the omnipotent Creator of the Universe. Certainly the Bible frequently attributes the great Work of Creation to the Almighty God. In the Beginning, fays the facred, and moft. ancient of all Hiftorographers, Mofes. In the Beginning God created the Heavens, and the Earth. Gen. i. 1. But fince the eternal God intended, or defigned by and in the Creature or the grand Univerfe, to manifeft and difplay his infinite Greatness and moft, divine Excellency to rational Creatures; and as this grand Intention could not be carried into Execution, nor this glorious Defign, and moft Supreme End of all Things, fully compaffed, unless God conftantly preferved, fupported and governed all Things: For fo the deep Wisdom, great Power, and infinite Goodnefs of God could not be duly contemplated by intelligent Beings in the Universe, that perfect and moft Glorious Mirror of the Divine Perfections; yea, that eternal Monument of all the infinite Glories of the Moft Supreme Being I fay, from thefe important and most weighty Confiderations, it became abfolutely and indif penfably neceffary, that God, by his wife and powerful Providence, fhould alfo fupport, keep, direct, govern and over-rule All Things. And this, without all peradventure, is the true Reafon why the Apoftle adds, that all Things are |