ing to submit, and to acquiesce in God's will, if it should prove to be so. But when he requires this of us, he does not require us to love pain, or to choose it for its own sake; nor does he require us to be willing that sin should take place, in ourselves or others, with any kind of willingness which implies a love of sin, but the contrary. And while we commit ourselves to him, to be disposed of, as he shall deem proper, it is our constant duty to hate every sin, to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbor as ourselves, and to express this love in all those ways which he has pointed out in his holy word.

SERMON VIII.

EPHESIANS I. 11.

Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

he feels.

WE proceed in the discussion of objections. Objection 13. It is said, that God requires us to repent of sin. But to repent of sin, implies that we are sorry that we have sinned, that we regret that we have sinned, that we wish we had not sinned. But God requires us to feel just as God, therefore, repents that we have sinned, he is sorry that we have sinned, he wishes we had not sinned. When the world became so wicked in the days of Noah, we read, Gen. 6. 6. "It repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." But this is totally inconsistent with his decreeing and causing sin to take place. It cannot be true, therefore, that he either decrees or causes it.

Answer. It is true that God requires us to feel towards sin and holiness, just as he feels. But the objection takes something for granted, which is not true, namely, that God does, on the whole,

regret that sin has taken place, or that he requires us to do so. That repentance which we are required to exercise, consists in a disapprobation of sin, considered as it is in its own nature, together with a loathing and abhorring of ourselves as sinners. The true penitent hates sin, in itself considered, and hates himself, considered as a sinner; he views his own eharacter with shame and detestation, and considering sin as it is in itself, he looks back upon his sin with the deepest sorrow. But considering the sins which have taken place, in connection with the great good, which God brings out of them, which could not otherwise be accomplished; considering them as upon the whole, for the best, and necessary for the greatest good of the universe, the good man does not, upon the whole, wish they had not taken place. No good man can, on the whole, wish that Christ had not been crucified, and so, that an atonement had not been made, for the sins of the world. It was in this view of the subject, that the apostle could say, Rom. 6. 17. "God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin." It was, on the whole, for the best, that they had been, for a time, the servants of sin. And when the good man looks back upon his own sins, though in themselves he abhors them, and abhors himself on account of them; yet, considered as a part of God's infinitely wise and benevolent plan, he does not wish, on the whole, that they had not taken place.

It is said, however, that God requires us to feel towards sin as he feels; and that, when he saw the corruption of the old world, he repented that he had made man upon the earth, and given him an opportunity to conduct in such a manner, which expresses a strong wish that he had not conducted in such a manner. Answer. Let us suppose, for a moment, that God does, on the whole, wish that man had not sinned, that he did, on the whole, regret that he had made man, when he saw his wicked conduct; and where will it lead us? If God did, on the whole, wish he had not made man, he had changed his mind, and was sorry for what he had done. If he changed his mind, it must be for some reason, or for no reason. It will not be said that God changed his mind without any reason. If he really changed his mind, it was because man had conducted in a manner which he did not expect. When he made him, he expected he would do better than he now finds he has, and so he wishes he had not made him. But this supposition destroys the foreknowledge of God. And this supposition makes God progressive in his knowledge, like ourselves. And if this is true, then, if we go back eternally, we shall find God without any knowledge, as well as without any determinations. This is blank atheism. But if God knew all things from eternity, then he knew how man would conduct, before he made him, as well as he does now.

In themselves

And consequently, if, in the view of all his conduct, he did then, on the whole, choose to make him, he cannot now, in the same view of his conduct, wish he had not made him. To say that he does, is to say, that he has changed his mind without any reason. When God, therefore, is said to repent that he had made man, and to be grieved at his heart, it cannot mean, that he does, on the whole, wish he had not made him. But it must mean, that, in itself considered, the conduct of man was so undesirable and odious, that when the good consequences were left out of view, the existence of man was an undesirable event, and a matter of grief. And so God feels towards every sin that is past. considered, he views them as exceedingly undesirable and odious; but when he considers them in connection with the good he will bring out of them, which could not otherwise be attained, all things considered, he does not wish they had not taken place, or he would have prevented their taking place; nor does he require his creatures to wish, on the whole, that they had not taken place. Past sins, as well as present and future sins, may be considered as they are in themselves, and they may be considered as they are on the whole. In themselves considered, they are exceedingly undesirable; but, on the whole, all that do take place, under the wise government of God, are for the best, and in that point of view, God can, and does,