You therefore may, with the utmost serenity, leave the government of the world with him, and put an implicit faith in his wisdom and fidelity, and have nothing to do but your duty; nothing, but to attend upon the business he has marked out for you; like a faithful soldier in an army, who trusts his general to conduct affairs, while he devotes himself to the business he is set about; and the more he rejoices in the wisdom of his general, the more alert will he be in discharging the duties of a soldier. Wherefore, "rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say, rejoice." Let this be your first maxim-The Lord reigneth; and this your practice-Let the earth rejoice.

But it must be with a holy joy; with such a joy as results from a supreme love to God, and hatred of sin as an infinite evil; with such a joy as St. Paul describes "Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity, but in the truth;" for no other joy will answer to the nature of God's universal plan, which is altogether suited to exalt the Deity, and set sin in an infinitely odious point of light, and to cause truth and right universally to take place.

There are some who say they are Jews, and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan; who say they trust in the Lord. while, at the same time, the name of God is blasphemed through their unrighteous and ungodly lives. So once there was a mixed multitude came out of Egypt, and joined in the general joy at the side of the Red Sea, merely from selfish views; but the Lord knew how to try them, and their joy, ere long, was turned to murmuring. For their hearts were not yet right, and their carcasses fell in the wilderness.

O ye seed of Jacob, trials, many trials, are yet to be expected; dark and gloomy days, while the dawning light of the glorious morning comes gradually on. Get ready, therefore, for trials. Be willing that "all flesh should be brought low, and that the Lord alone should be exalted." (Isa. ii. 17.) "Seek meekness, ye meek of the earth, for it may be, ye may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." (Zeph. ii. 3.) For "behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings." "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (( Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." Blessed is that man who shall overcome all trials, and be true

to the Messiah's interest through all changes; for "he shall stand in his lot at the end of the days," in the general assembly of the just in heaven. "Watch, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Humility, self-diffidence, entire dependence on God, the inward source of constant watchfulness and prayer, perfectly become us, and are exactly suited to the state of things in the intellectual system. Satan, a glorious archangel, fell; Adam, the father of the human race, fell; all mankind are now in a fallen state; the powers of darkness determined on our ruin. No room, therefore, is left for pride, self-confidence, selfdependence. Hell is our proper due; and free grace, through Jesus Christ, our only hope. Snares and dangers are all around us. "Watch and pray, therefore, that ye enter not into temptation."

God is the only being by nature immutably good. Were we innocent, we might possibly fall; and God would be unobliged to hold us up. Now we are sinners; now we are already fallen creatures; there is no hope in our case, but we shall totally and finally fall if left to ourselves, and as certainly perish as we now exist. And whither shall we look for help, but to the only immutable being? and how but through the means and mediation of Christ? being infinitely unworthy that God should hold us up; and yet our eternal interest lies all at stake!

O thou Father of our spirits, amidst ten thousand dangers, apostate, self-ruined, self-destroyed, helpless, hell our due, we look to thee! O, help us! O, hold us up! O, keep us, by thy power, through faith, unto salvation; to the glory of thy free grace through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Now to him who loved us and gave himself for us, to him be glory, honor, and praise, forever and ever. AMEN.

THE

WISDOM OF GOD

IN

THE PERMISSION OF SIN,

VINDICATED;

IN ANSWER TO A PAMPHLET, ENTITLED

'AN ATTEMPT," &c.

HE 18 THE ROCK; HIS WORK IS PERFECT: FOR ALL HIS WAYS ARE JUDGMENT: A GOD OF TRUTH, AND WITHOUT INIQUITY, JUST AND RIGHT IS HE.

VOL. II.

9

Deut. xxxii. 4.

PREFACE.

Ir the divine conduct towards the intellectual system can be vindicated, there will be no room for any dispute about his decrees. If God always does what is best for him to do, his decreeing from eternity to do so, cannot be objected against; unless we can suppose it to be wrong for God to determine upon a conduct in all respects right. All God's decrees primarily respect his own conduct. First, what a world to create. Secondly, how to behave towards his creatures, in every particular circumstance. For "God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence." The whole of the divine conduct towards intelligent beings, after they are brought into existence, may be arranged under these two general heads. 1. What he does. 2. What he forbears to do. For instance: He placed our first parents in the garden; he forbid them to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge on pain of death. These things he did. He did not hinder the serpent from tempting, nor our first parents from eating. These things he forbore to do. If he always has a good reason for doing what he does, and for forbearing what he forbears, then his whole conduct, as comprehending both, is justifiable.

To vindicate the conduct of the Holy One of Israel, was the design of my sermons on "the Wisdom of God in the Permission of Sin." But the author of the "Attempt," not believing that God has done so well in this affair as he might have done, has undertaken to write against against whom? against me? No: rather, to write against his Maker. For he does not deny the