"

us? Why should the "Almighty" and the Good," foreseeing, as he must, the consequences of sin, suffer its entrance?-why, when it made its entrance, suffer it to prevail, instead of interposing by his preventing grace?-how could he consistently express his "grief” at it while he did not interpose thus ?-why were all mankind involved in the fall of one man?-in so far as he has thought proper to interpose, why not extend the benefit to all, as well as to some?—why call to obedience either to the "law of works," or to the "law of faith," when he foreknows that they "cannot❞ find it in their heart to "be subject to the law," or to come in at the call of the gospel? And, as to the apparent disagreement in divine truths, although the disagreement is but apparent, yet it is not every one who sees their compatibility; such for instance as these:-man's free agency and responsibility, with the sovereignty of God's grace; the equitable administration of the moral government of the world under the law of works" and "the law of faith," with the sovereign ministration of the Spirit to a chosen peculiar people; the universal benign aspect of the gospel with its particular aspect; sovereign election of some only, with the declarations of God's benevolence or philanthropy towards all; sovereign decrees, with the freedom of the human will; sovereign decrees, with the freedom of human agency; the conditional, and therefore contingent declarations and promises of Scripture, with the unconditional and certain purposes of God; and the sincerity of the exhortations and expostulations of holy writ, with its declarations of man's impotence. Now to many, these

things appear incompatible. There are difficulties then; there are apparent disagreements. In consequence of the difficulties, some, not having that rooted love of truth, which would prompt to a patient investigation, or forgetting that "it is the glory of God to conceal a thing" for the present, are stumbled; and others, although they do love the truth, and will still believe, yet find their spiritual fortitude and courage shaken, and their sacred joy diminished. And, as to the apparent discordances or incompatibilities, some take one side, and others take the other side, of the question, and so become most injuriously partial in their views of Scripture doctrine, this party contending earnestly for sovereign grace, while they neglect human duty and responsibility,-that party as warmly contending for human duty and responsibility, while they neglect the doctrines of sovereign grace. Nor does the mischief end here; some who adopt that side of the question, the sovereignty of grace, even feel uneasy when the preacher, in the name of God, calls sinners to repentance, and to the obedience of faith; particularly, when he invites and persuades and urges them to "choose life, that they and their seed may live;" while, on the other hand, the advocate of human duty and responsibility spurns at the doctrine of sovereign election and overpowering grace. We would not be severe on those who, in their zeal for the honours of divine grace, overlook the claims of the divine government; or, on the other hand, on those who, in their earnest desire to "ascribe righteousness to their Maker," neglect the honours of divine grace, if "to the Lord" they do so. No, far

from it. We would respect them for their concern for God's glory; and as long as we see in them a humble and teachable spirit, would cherish christian affection for them; but we must wish that both parties would look on one side of the question as well as the other, and would be solicitous to see the consistency of the equitable government of God with his gracious sovereignty, or of his gracious sovereignty with his equitable government.

Perhaps few have been more deeply exercised with the above-mentioned difficulties and apparent discordances, than the writer of these pages. During the two years of solicitous inquiry, prior to his entering upon preparatory studies for the ministry; then, during the four years and a half in which he was engaged in them; and, added to this, during the thirty-nine years in which he has been employed in the christian ministry, often have these subjects given occasion for interesting inquiry. But he trusts his God has been with him; and, to his own mind at least, he furnishes another proof of his goodness and faithfulness to those that perseveringly call and wait upon him. By a clue originally afforded him by his much revered tutor, Dr. Edward Williams, by Dr. Watts, in his "Ruin and Recovery," and by his own serious investigation into the mind of the Spirit in the Word, he has been led forward through many a difficult path to a state of light and enlargement which he scarcely could have anticipated at the commencement of his ministerial career. And, as it bears upon this attempt, it may not be amiss for him to remark that, although, nearly all the time mentioned, he has been in the

habit of penning and preserving his thoughts on the various branches of the subjects handled in this work, and many a time has arranged his thoughts, and stated his propositions for his own satisfaction; yet it was not until within the last eight years that he had conceived the idea of forming his thoughts into a regular and connected plan, as in the work here presented. Being now, however, formed into a plan, it may be considered as the thoughts and gatherings of forty years.

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The object in this work is to show that God, the great King," in his government of man, not only proceeds upon the principle of Equity, but that hereby he designs to bear a TESTIMONY concerning himself and man, respectively;-that, for this purpose, his government is a government of probation, and that, being probationary, it is necessarily conditional, in its form a view of things which, it is presumed, accounts, not only for its universal aspect, but also for its appeal to the human will and human agency; moreover, that thus, a testimony having been borne to the glory of God and the confusion of man, God, on a foresight of man's guilt and stubbornness, as well under the gospel as the law, has taken occasion to display his glory still farther by a superadded dispensation of SOVEREIGN GOODNESS as a gracious sovereign, in an election to mercy of such as he in his allwise counsels thought proper; yet however, seeing this election, though sovereign and eternal, is on the supposition of foreseen unpersuadableness, and takes effect during the existence of the universal administration of the gospel, that it is not an election of exclusion, but of reser

vation, "keeping mercy for thousands," where all deserved to be "cut off" for their stubbornness.

The next great point, and indeed the great hinge on which the scheme itself turns, is—that the moral government of God was designed as a TESTIMONY, whether under the "law of works" or the "law of faith;" for which cause it is probationary in its design, and, as probationary, conditional in its form.

In accordance with these views, it is here supposed, that God, "the great King," has not only taken care that his government should be really “a holy, just, and good," that is, an equitable and benevolent government, but that it should appear so, as indicated by such solemn appeals as the following:-"O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?" "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ?" Nor are these things to be gathered from Scripture alone. Common sense tells us, that if a testimony be borne concerning God and men, they must act as FROM THEMSELVES ; and that, if man be proud, whatever means of information be given to him, or whatever motives the divine benevolence may urge to induce him to be obedient, yet that he must be left in the hand of his own counsel; moreover, that, whether he stand or fall, the affair must not only be conditional, but must be addressed to his own will and his own agency. In farther explanation of our plan, it seems proper to remark also, that we take it for granted that such a scheme must have a universal aspect and a universal call; or that the blessings exhibited must be conditionally available for all, and be preached to all,