all generations;" that "he is of one mind, and none can turn or difappoint him," who "worketh all things after the counfel of his own wife, unchangeable will."

This leads directly to the point before us. It muft be determined by God whether there fhould be any fin and rebellion under his government, and among mankind. This depended wholly on the will of God. He was able to forbid and prevent the existence of it; and if it was contrary to wisdom, perfect rectitude and goodness, that is, if he faw it was not wifelt and beft, and neceffary to effect the greatest good, on the whole, that fin fhould exift, he could and certainly would prevent the existence of it. There is therefore the greatest possible certainty, from the divine perfections, that fin does exift juft in the manner and in that degree, and in every inftance of it, with all the attendants and confequences of it which do or will take place, agreeable to the dictates and will of Infinite Wisdom and Goodness, as being neceffary to accomplish the most wife and best end, the greateft poffible good of the univerfe; and the fin and mifery which are not neceffary to promote this end shall never exist, as it is contrary to infinite wisdom and goodness that it fhould. We may be as fure of this, as we are or can be of the being and perfections of God, or of any truth whatever, or even of our own existence. And to difbelieve and deny, or even to doubt of it, tends to atheifm, and is really a degree of it.

To fuppofe that God has not power and skili enough to prevent the existence of fin, and was not able to withhold man from finning, confiftent with the perfect moral freedom of man, if he had chosen to do it, is to fuppofe he is really unable to govern the world agreeable to his will, and therefore is not to be trufted in a matter of infinite importance, and that he cannot be perfectly happy, but infinitely to the contrary, while he cannot prevent fin and mifery taking place in a moft awful, undefirable and even infinite degree, most contrary to what he would defire and wifh, were he able to prevent it! And if God were not able thus

to

to prevent the exiftence of any of the fins which have been committed by man fince his creation, then he cannot be fuppofed to be able to prevent the existence of any fuppofed degree of fin in future in any mo ral agent; confequently therefore there can be no ground of affurance, or the leaft evidence, either from God, or from moral agents, or from any other quarter, that fin will not take place in every moral agent, even in all those who are now perfectly holy, and those who are holy in fome degree, in the greateft ftrength and to the utmoft degree of which they are capable, and that as long as they fhall exift! On this fuppofition, how could God know what would take place among his creatures? And how can he declare and promise that fin fhall be forever excluded from the holy angels and the redeemed from among men? What fhall we do with the declarations and promises of this kind abundantly made in the Bible? Can there be any reliance upon them? And what reafon has any one to truft in God to preferve him from fin, and form him to holiness, or to afk him to do this? Dreadful and horrible and prefumptuous fuppofition! most unreasonable, and big with confequences moft terrible and deftructive! It leads to the exclufion of divine revelation, and cuts off all trust and confidence in God in all matters of the greatest impor tance, and excludes all belief of a particular and univerfal divine providence, and naturally leads to, and lands men in, the horrible darkness of infidelity and atheism!

But if God be able to prevent the exiftence of fin, and it was wifeft and beft, on the whole, that there fhould be no fin, then wisdom and goodnefs muft oppofe the exiftence of it; fo that to fuppofe that it is not beft on the whole that fin fhould take place just as it does, is to fuppofe that God is neither wife nor good: for infinite wisdom and goodness, clothed with omnipotence, always prefer and effect that which is moft wife and beft, moft for the glory of God and the greatest good of his eternal kingdom; and will certainly and effectually prevent the existence of every thing which

cannot

cannot be made to promote this end. To deny or even to entertain the leaft doubt of this, and that all the fin with its attendants and confequences, which does or ever will exift, is neceffary to effect the greateft good of the univerfe, the brighteft difplay of the divine perfections, and the higheft glory and happiness of his' kingdom, is equally to deny or doubt of the infinite wifdom and goodness of God, and to reprefent him unworthy of the implicit truft and confidence of his creatures, and fo to leave them without any God, or one who is rather to be dreaded, than loved and adored. How dishonourable to God this is, being as gloomy and shocking as atheism itself, every truly pious perfon cannot but difcern and feel!

The holy fcriptures, and our reafon from the perfections of God, therefore join in declaring this truth, and oblige us to believe and fay, "Surely the wrath of man fhall praise God, and the remainder of wrath hefhall restrain," in the fense in which these words have been explained and vindicated, viz. that all the evil which has taken place, or ever will exift, both moral and natural, fin and mifery, does take place, in every the leaft and greateft inftance of it, under the fuperintendency and direction of the infinitely wife and benevolent will of God, as neceffary to promote the greatest poffible good of the univerfe, his own glory, and the higheft happiness of his moral, eternal kingdom. And he will reftrain and prevent the existence of all that which is not neceffary to anfwer this end. *

This

This truth has been and ftill is greatly oppofed, and many objections are made to it. It has been often and by many afferted, that if fin anfwers fo good an end, then fin is a good thing, and the ́ more there is of it the better; that this is the greatest encouragement to fin; and there is really no crime in fin, if fo much good comes by it, and therefore finners cannot be juftly blamed and punished for it. And it has been often faid by those who think and profefs themfelves to be wife, that this doctrine is inconfiftent with human liberty, and really makes God the author of all the fin that takes place. But the truth is great, and must and will prevail; and the folly of all thefe objectors, who understand neither what they fay, nor whereof they affirm, shall be manifeft unto all men.

It

This is equally true of all the fin and rebellion of the fallen angels, with all the attendants and confequences of this. Their fins are many ways connected with the fins of men. They were the wicked inftruments of introducing fin among mankind, and are represented in the fcriptures, as having a great hand in all the fins which are committed by men, and deceiving and tempting the whole world of mankind. They are allowed to come down to the earth in great wrath against God and man, and to go forth to the whole world, to excite them to unite in horrible war against God. But they are in the hand of God, and under his reftraints; and when they have done all the work he designs they fhall do, he will caft them into the bottomlefs pit, and fhut them up, and fet a feal upon them, that they fhould deceive the nations no more, till the proper time fhall come to let them loofe again. Thus the wrath of devils fhall praise God, and the remainder of their wrath he fhall reftrain.

IMPROVEMENT.

This fubject affords matter of fufficient fupport, of great comfort and joy, to the true friends of God, in the midst of all the evil, both fin and misery, which may take place. The Lord reigneth, clothed with omnipotence, infinitely wife and good, juft and true. He is above all controul. He hath done, and will do, whatever he pleaseth, in heaven and in the earth. He is infinitely above all poffibility of any disappointment, or of being oppofed fo as not to accomplish all his defigns in the beft and moft perfect manner. All the rebellion, fin and fuffering of creatures, that do or ever

will

It is needless to attempt to answer any of these objections here, as this has been publicly done over and over again. If any have a defire to fee them answered, they may find it done, in Prefident Edwards's Treatife on Freedom of Will, Dr. Weft's Effay on Moral Agency, Dr. Edwards's Differtation concerning Liberty and Neceffity, the author's Syftem of Doctrines contained in Divine Revelation, and his Sermons on Rom. iii. 5, 6, 7, 8.

will, take place, are fo far from fruftrating his defigns, that they are intended and ordered to take place just as they do, as neceffary to make the greatest poffible manifeftation of his perfections, and promote the greatest good of his kingdom. There is not the leaft fin in thought, word or deed, nor the least inftance of pain, nor can any evil exift, greater or lefs, which is not defigned to answer fome good end, fo that it is best that it fhould exift just as it does. Then let the friends of God rejoice in him who made them and all things else, and orders every event, great and small, for the best. Let the children of Zion rejoice in their King: yea, let them always rejoice.

The Lord Jefus Chrift, our God, who was once manifested in flesh, is received up into glory, has fat down on the throne of the universe, poffeffed of all power in heaven and earth, and having all things, angels, men and devils, in his hand, reigns over all, and will reign, till he has, in the best time and manner, completely accomplished his infinitely wife and good defigns; deftroyed the works of the devil, by wholly defeating, confounding and difappointing him and all who join with him, in all their attempts against him, and oppofition to him, and turning all they have done or will do, and all that does or will take place refpecting them, to answer his own ends, to the greater glory of God, and to make his work in the redemption of finners more perfect and glorious. He having by his fufferings and obedience made an atonement for fin, and obtained righteousness for the juftification of finners, is thus exalted to give repentance and forgiveness of fins, and everlasting life to all who believe on his name, and come unto him; being able to fave to the uttermost all them who come unto God by him. And as none of the human race will come to him, though all who hear the gospel are invited, unless they be drawn by the Spirit of God, and made willing by his power and grace, he in this exerciseth his fovereignty, and has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Y Y

And