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eternal torments of of hell upon them. The goodness of God is a holy, wise, and rational goodness, and not an unreasonable fondness; he will never do a wrong thing, to oblige any of his creatures: no, he had rather the whole world should be damned; yea, that even his own Son should die: nor will he ever communicate good to any one, when, all things considered, it is not best and wisest. When he first designed to create the world, and first laid out his whole scheme of government, as it was easy for him to have determined, that neither angels nor men should ever sin, and that misery should never be heard of in all his dominions, so he could easily have prevented both sin and misery. Why did he not? Surely, not for want of goodness in his nature; for that is infinite: not from any thing like cruelty; for there is no such thing in him: not for want of a suitable regard to the happiness of his creatures; for that he always has: But it was because, in his infinite wisdom, he did not think it best in the whole. It was not because he had not sufficient power to preserve angels and men all holy and happy; for it is certain he had: it was not because preventing grace would have been inconsistent with their being free agents; for it would not: it was not because he did not thoroughly consider and weigh the thing with all its consequences; for it is certain he did: But, upon the whole, all things considered, he judged it best to permit the angels to sin and man to fall; and so let misery enter into his dominions. It did not come to pass accidentally and unawares, and contrary to what God had ever thought of or intended; because it is certain that he knew all things from the beginning; and it is certain that, in an affair of such a nature, and of such consequence, he could not stand by as an idle unconcerned spectator, that cares not which way things go. There is no doubt, therefore, but that, all things considered, he thought it best to permit things to come to pass just as they did: and, if he thought it best, it was best; for his understanding is infinite, his wisdom unerring, and so he can never be mistaken. But why was it best? What could he have in view preferable to the happiness of his creatures? And if their happiness was to him above all things most dear, how could he bear the thoughts of their ever, any of them, being misera

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ble? Why, it is certain he thought it best; and therefore it is certain he had a view to something else besides merely the happiness of his creatures; to something of greater importance, and more worthy to bear a governing sway in his mind, by which it became him to be above all things influenced, in laying out and contriving how things should proceed and be disposed in the world he designed to create.

But what was that thing which was of greater worth and importance, and so more worthy to bear a governing sway in his mind, and to which he had the greatest regard, making all other things give way to this? what was his grand end in creating and governing the world? Why, look; what end he is at last like to obtain, when the whole scheme is finished, and the day of judgment past, and heaven and hell filled with all their proper inhabitants: And what will be the final result? What will he get by all? Why, in all, he will exert and display every one of his perfections to the life, and so, by all, will exhibit a most perfect and exact image of himself. And now, as he is infinitely glorious in being what he is, therefore that scheme of conduct which is perfectly suited to exhibit the most lively and exact image of him, must be infinitely. glorious too; and, therefore, this is the greatest and best thing he can aim at in all his works; and this, therefore, ought to be his last end. Now, it is evident, that the fall of the angels and of man, together with all those things which have and will come to pass in consequence thereof, and occasioned thereby, from the beginning of the world to the day of judgment, and throughout eternity, will serve to give a much more lively and perfect representation of God, than could possibly have been exhibited, had there never been any sin or misery. The holiness and justice; the goodness, mercy, and grace of God, shine much more brightly: They have been displayed with an astonishing lustre and glory in the death of Christ, and will be displayed for ever in heaven and in hell, as they could not have been, had not sin and misery ever been permitted to enter into God's world. Indeed, if, in the nature of things, it had been wrong for God to have permitted any of his creatures to sin, and then to punish them for it; if God had been bound in duty, or in goodness, to keep them from sin, or to save them when they had sinned, then the case had been otherwise. But since, in the nature of things, it was fit he should be at liberty, and act according to his own discretion; and since the end he had in view was so noble and godlike, his conduct in this affair was infinitely right, fit, and becoming, and so infinitely glorious. Certainly God thought it was so, or he would not have done as he did; and therefore, if we view things as God did, and have a temper and frame of heart like unto his, we shall think so too. And, as I said before, it is horrid pride and impudence for us to pretend to know better than the infinitely wise God, and infinite wickedness for us to pretend to find fault with his conduct. Rom. ix. 19-23*. Thus, if he had aimed merely at the happiness of his creatures, he could easily have so ordered that Pharaoh should willingly have let Israel go, and he could have led Israel in less than forty days to the promised land, and put them into an immediate possession: but there was something else which he had a greater regard to; and therefore Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and all his wonders are wrought in the land of Egypt. The tribes of Israel march to the borders of the Red Sea; the sea parts; Israel goes through, but the Egyptians are drowned. And now Israel is tempted and tried, and they sin and rebel, and so are doomed to wander forty years in the wilderness, and to have their carcasses fall there. And why was all this? Why, because his design was to display all his perfections, and fill the whole earth with his glory. Exod. ix. 16. Numb. xiv. 21. And now, because it is the most noble thing that God can have in view, to act forth all his perfections to the life, and so exhibit the most exact representation of himself in his works; therefore, it is infinitely fit he should make this his last end, and all other things subservient; and his conduct in so doing is infinitely beautiful and glorious. Thus we see how the goodness of God is displayed in his government of the world, and see that it is an unbounded, rich, free goodness; and that all the exercises of it are sovereign, and under the direction of his infinite wisdom: so that God is infinitely glorious on the account of this perfection of his nature. Exod. xxxiii. 19. xxxiv. 5, 6, 7. Rom. ix. Eph. i. 1-12.

* OBJ.-But surely it could not be consistent with the divine goodness, from all eternity, to decree the everlasting misery of his creatures.

ANS.-God has in fact permitted sin to enter into the world; does in fact permit many to die in their sins; will in fact punish them for ever; and ali consistent with the infinite goodness of his nature, as every one must acknowledge. And since it is consistent with his goodness to to do as he does, it was consistent with his goodness, to determine with himself beforehand to de so: What God, from eternity, decreed to do, that God, in time will do : therefore, if all God's conduct be holy, just, and good, so also are all his decrees; unless we can suppose it to be wrong for the infinitely wise God, from all eternity to determine upon a conduct in all respects right: than which nothing can be more absurd.

(7.) His unchangeable truth and faithfulness are also discovered in his government of the world; and that in the fulfilment of his promises, and the execution of his threatenings. Did he promise to be Abraham's God? So he was. Did he promise to give the land of Canaan to his seed for an inheritance? So he did. Did he promise to send his Son into the world, and to set him up a kingdom upon earth? Even so he has done. And he is in like manner true and faithful to all his promises which he has made to his people. And did he threaten to drown the old world; to make Israel wander forty pears in the wilderness; to deliver them into the hands of their enemies, at what time soever they should forsake him, and go and serve other gods, and, finally, to send them captives into Babylon for seventy years? Even so he has done. God's word may always be depended upon; for what he designs, that he says; and what he says, that he will do. And this is another of the glorious perfections of his nature.

Thus all the perfections of God are discovered in his government of the world. By his conduct we may see what he is, and learn the very temper of his heart. And now, I might go through his other works-his redeeming, justifying, sanctifying sinners, and bringing them to eternal glory at last, and show how his glorious perfections shine forth in them. But I have already hinted at some of these things, and shall have occasion afterwards to view the divine perfections shining forth in these works of God, when I come to consider the nature of the gospel. Sufficient has been said to answer my present purpose; and, therefore, for brevity's sake, I will proceed no further here. Thus, then, we see how the perfections of God are manifested in his works,

Secondly. The same representation is made of God in his WORD: For these great works of God, his creating, preserving, and governing the world; his redeeming, sanctifying, and saving sinners, are the subject-matter of all the Bible. God, in his works, acts out his perfections, and, in his word, lays the whole before our eyes in writing. Therein he has told us what he has done, and what he intends to do; and so has delineated his glorious perfections in the plainest manner. In his word, God has revealed himself to the children of men; has manifested and shown what he is. But how? Why, by declaring and holding forth his works, as that in which he has exhibited the image of himself. Thus, the scriptures begin with an account of God's creating the world, and go on throughout all the Old Testament, informing how he preserves and governs it: And, then, in the New Testament, we are informed more particularly how he redeems, justifies, sanctifies, and saves sinners. And now, as the actions of a man discover the temper and disposition of his heart, and show what he is, so the works of God, from first to last, all taken together, hold forth an exact representation of himself. If we will begin with God's creating the world, and survey all his conduct in the light of scripture; his conduct towards man before the fall, and after the fall; his conduct towards Abel and Cain, Enoch and Noah, and all the old world; his conduct towards Lot and Sodom; towards Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph; towards the children of Israel, in Egypt, at the Red Sea, in the wilderness, at Sinai, at Masah, at Taberah, &c. and in the times of Joshua, of their Judges, of their Kings, &c. and then come into the New Testament, and survey his conduct with relation to the redemption and salvation of sinners, and then look forward to the great judgment-day, and see his whole scheme finished; see the result, the conclusion, and end of all; look up to heaven and take a view of that world, and look down to hell and survey the state of things there; from the whole we may see what God is : for in the whole, God exerts his nature, and, by the whole, God designs to exhibit an exact representation of himself. And, then, are our apprehensions of God right, and according

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