truths, both from the scriptures and from reason, which demands our careful attention.

It

The fcriptures will appear, beyond a poffible doubt, to an attentive, honeft mind, to be on the fame plan, and to exhibit thefe fame truths, from the beginning to the end. This is manifeft in fo many ways and in-. ftances that they cannot be all mentioned here. will be fufficient to fuggeft the following: "The fcripture faith unto Pharaoh, Even for this fame purpose have I raised thee up, that I might fhew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth." The wrath of Pharaoh was ordered and brought about by God in his providence on purpose that he might be praised and glorified; that his name, his character and perfections might hereby be declared thoughout all the earth. "What if God, willing to thew his wrath, and make his power known, endured with much long fuffering the veffels of wrath fitted to deftruction? Here the fin and deftruction of those who perifh is reprefented as ordered by God for his praife, to manifeft his hatred of fin, and his dreadful power in punishing finners who are finally impenitent.

The innumerable predictions in the fcripture of events to be brought about, and which have been fulfilled by millions of millions of finful exercifes and actions of wicked men, and predictions of many particular fins which men fhould commit, are an inconteftible evidence that God has the direction of all the fins of men, and that none can take place unless by his difpofal, fo as to anfwer his ends, and promote his glory. Two or three inftances may be mentioned to illuftrate this remark.

The fin of the brethren of Jofeph in felling him into Egypt, and all their anger and wrath which led to this, was determined and ordered by God for good, for his own praife and glory, and the good of his church. Therefore, God is faid to have done it, and to fend Jofeph into Egypt, meaning it all for good. And in this way the wrath of Jofeph's mistress in Egypt, and of her husband, did praife God, and could not have taken

taken place, had it not been neceffary to accomplish the benevolent purpose of God; and they and the brethren of Jofeph were reftrained from all that wrath and fin, which would defeat the prediction by the two dreams of Jofeph, and not anfwer the purpofe of God, and praife him. The former were reftrained from putting Jofeph to death, as they once propofed. And though Potiphar's "wrath was kindled," when he heard the falfe accufation against Joseph by his wicked wife, yet his wrath was fo reftrained that he did not take away his life, which had either of them done, the divine plan could not have been executed.

But the moft remarkable inftance of this is the fin and wrath exercifed by men in the treatment of the Saviour of the world, and putting him to death in the moft cruel manner. This was all particularly determined and appointed long before by God, and foretold by the prophets. Hear what they who were infpired fay of this in their folemn address to God: "Lord, thou art God, who haft made heaven and earth and the fea, and all that is in them; who by the mouth of thy fervant David haft faid, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth tood up, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth, against thy holy child Jefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together, to do whatfoever thy hand and thy counfel determined before to be done."

All this fcene of fin and wrath againft Jefus Chrift was determined and directed by the hand and counfel, the power and wifdom, of God, which was neceffary for the greateft difplay of the divine perfections in the redemption of finful man, which has ever been made, and could not have been made in any other way, and will be to his praife and glory forever, and the means of the unfpeakably greater happiness and glory of all his friends, the members of his eternal kingdom.

And

SERM. XX. And all this fin was ordered, to praise and glorify God, that he might hereby accomplish his wife and infinitely important defigns. These finners were reftrained, and prevented committing all thofe finful acts which would not praife God, but, contrary to this, would counteract his wife purpofes. Thus Herod was not able to put Chrift to death in his infancy, when he attempted to do it. And the Jews were not allowed to lay their hands upon him and kill him, though they defired and often attempted to do it, as this would not have been to the praise of God, but the contrary. They were reftrained from effecting their purpose, till the proper time came, when this horrid deed would praife God, and was neceffary to his accomplishing the infinitely wife and important ends he had in view.

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And indeed there is the greatest certainty that the fins of men, in general, and the univerfal depravity, rebellion and guilt of mankind, were neceffary in order to there being fuch a character as that of Jefus Christ the Redeemer, and the wonderful, glorious events which do and will take place in confequence of what he has done and fuffered. For had there been no fin, by which the human race are fallen into a state of total ruin, there could not have been any Redeemer or re-demption, by which God will be more praised and glorified than by all his other works. And indeed all his other works have reference to, and centre in, the glorious work of Redemption, and derive their chief glory from this, of which the fin of man laid the foundation, which therefore is neceffary for the greatest and moft bright difplay of the perfections of God, and the confequent praifes from all his friends, and their happinefs in the enjoyment of him forever.

And as fin in general, and the most remarkable inftances of it recorded in fcripture, fome of which have been mentioned, are made to praise God, there is hence ground of affurance that it does fo in every instance, and that this is true of every fin that ever has been or will be committed by man, and that not one fin which would

not

not praise God will ever take place, had not this been exprefsly afferted in our text. And it is important to be obferved, that all the natural evil which is the confequence of fin, which does or ever will exist, will answer this end, and is neceflary for the brightest manifestation and difplay of the divine perfections, and confequently for the greateft happiness of all the friends of God. This is implied in the words of the apoftle Paul, when he fays, "We are unto God a fweet favour of Christ, in them that are faved, and in them that perifh." According to this, the gofpel produces that which is pleafing to God in the effect it has, not only in them who are faved, but also that which it has on those who perifh. It is the occafion of difcovering the total depravi ty, and exceeding hardness, and strength of the obftinacy, of the human heart, in the univerfal, ftrong and fixed difpofition to reject the offers of mercy, which no means will overcome and fubdue; which discovery could not be made fo fully in any other conceivable way. The clear and ftriking manifeftation of this will ferve to difplay the righteoufnefs and holy difpleasure of God in punishing finners with everlafting deftruction, and inflicting a greatly aggravated punishment on those who perifh under the gofpel, as neglecters and defpifers of Chrift and the great falvation.

The fame fentiment is expreffed by this Apostle in the following words: "What if God willing [determining] to fhew his wrath, and make his power known, endured with much long-fuffering the veffels of wrath, fitted to deftruction; and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the veffels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory?" Here God is reprefented, not only as defigning to fhew his power, and his dif pleasure with finners by fitting them for deftruction but also by this to make known the riches of his grace, in the falvation of the redeemed.

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Thus it appears that there is the moft clear and certain evidence from the holy scripture, that all the fins of men that have or ever will take place, with all their cir

cumftances.

cumftances, attendants and confequences, fhall praife. God, fhall ferve to manifeft and difplay his perfections, as otherwife could not have been done, and shall be the occafion of all that good, that glory and happiness of his eternal kingdom, which is implied in this; that it is the will of God that all this fin fhould exist just as it does and will do, to answer this end, and no more; therefore all that fin which would not praise him, he wills fhall not exist, aud effectually restrains.

And all this appears moft reafonable, and may be argued from the being and perfections of God revealed in the fcriptures, in fo fhort and plain a way as to amount to a clear demonftration, to the reason of every honest, unprejudiced perfon who will carefully attend to the fubject.

God is omnipotent, and can do what he pleases. He is omnifcient; his knowledge extends to every thing. He is infinitely wife and good. He fees what is the greatest good on the whole, what is the wifeft and beft end, and what are the most wife and best way and means to accomplish it, and is difpofed, yea, has an infinite propenfity, to do it. It is therefore certain that all things and events abfolutely depended on his will from eterni ty, for their exiftence, and the manner of it; therefore the plan of all future exiftence, of all creatures and events, and the particular manner and circumftances in which they fhould exift, was in the Divine Mind from eternity. And as it must be the wifeft and beft poffible plan, containing all the poffible good that Infinite Wif dom and Goodness could devise and defire, and Omnipotence execute, it cannot be altered in the moft minute particular or circumftance, to eternity. And if this were poffible, it would be infinitely undefirable and calamitous, yea, an infinite evil. It is matter of the greatest joy that "the work of God is perfect," being decreed by him from eternity; that "whatsoever God doth, it fhall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it;" that "the counfel of the Lord ftandeth forever, and the thoughts of his heart to

all