worthy of God to do, and of a rational being to fuppofe. The grand principal end, propofed by the Deity to himself, in his formation of all things, and of mankind in particular, was, The manifeftation and difplay of his own glorious attributes. His ultimate fcope, in the creation of the elect, is, to evidence and make known, by their falvation, the unfearchable riches of his power and wifdom, mercy and love and, the creation of the non-elect, is for the display of his juftice, power, fovereignty, holinefs, and truth. So that nothing can be more certain, than the declaration of the text we have frequently had occafion to cite, Prov. xvi. The Lord hath made all things for himself, even the wicked for the day of evil. On one hand, the veffels of wrath are fitted for deftruction, in order that God may fhew his wrath, and make his power known, and manifeft the greatnefs of his patience and long fuffering, Rom. ix. 32. On the other hand, he afore prepared the elect to falvation, that, on them, he might demonftrate the riches of his glory and mercy, verfe 23. As, therefore, God himfelf is the fole author and efficient of all his own actions; fo is he, likewife, the fupreme end, to which they lead, and in which they terminate.

Befides, the creation and perdition of the ungodly answer another purpose (though a fubordinate one), with regard to the elect themselves, who from the rejection of those, learn, (1.) to admire the riches of divine love towards themselves, which planned, and has accomplished, the work of their falvation: while others, by nature on an equal level with them, are excluded from a participation of the fame benefits. And fuch a view of the Lord's diftinguishing mercy is, (2.) a moft powerful motive to thankfulness, that, when they too might juftly have been condemned with the world of the non-elect, they were marked out as heirs of the grace of life. (3.) Hereby they are taught, ardently to love their heavenly

Father;

Father; (4.) to trust in him affuredly, for a continued fupply of grace while they are on earth, and for the accomplishment of his eternal decree and promife, by their glorification in heaven; and, (5.) to live, as becomes thofe, who have received fuch unfpeakable mercies from the hand of their God and Saviour. So Bucer fomewhere obferves, That the punishment of the reprobate " is ufeful to the elect; inafmuch as it influences them to a greater fear and abhorrence of fin, and to a firmer reliance on the goodness of God."

Pof. 8. Notwithstanding God did, from all eternity, irreversibly chufe out and fix upon fome to be partakers of falvation by Chrift, and rejected the rest (who are therefore termed by the apoftle, MOITOS, the refufe, or those that remained and were left out); acting, in both, according to the good pleafure of his own fovereign will: yet, he did not, herein act an unjust, tyrannical, or cruel part; nor yet fhew himself a refpecter of perfons.

1. He is not unjuft, in reprobating fome: neither can he be fo; for the Lord is holy in all his ways, and righteous in all his works, Pfalm cxlv. But falvation and damnation are works of his confequently, neither of them is unrighteous or unholy. It is undoubted matter of fact, that the Father draws fome men to Chrift, and faves them in him with an everlasting falvation; and that he neither draws nor faves fome others: and, if it be not unjust in God, actually to forbear faving thefe perfons after they are born, it could not be unjuft in him to determine as much, before they were born. What is not unjuft for God to do in time, could not, by parity of argument, be unjust in him to refolve upon and decree from eternity. And, furely, if the apoftle's illuftration be allowed to have any propriety, or to carry any authority, it can no more be unjust in God to fet apart fome, for communion with himself in this life and the next, and to fet afide others, according

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cording to his own free pleafure; than for a potter,. to make, out of the fame mafs of clay, fome veffels for honourable, and others for inferior ufes. The

Deity, being abfolute Lord of all his creatures, is accountable to none, for his doings, and cannot be chargeable with injuftice, for difpofing of his own as

he will.

Nor, 2. is the decree of reprobation a tyrannical one. It is, indeed, ftrictly fovereign; but lawful fovereignty and lawlefs tyranny are as really diftinct, and different, as any two oppofites can be. He is a tyrant, in the common acceptation of that word, who, (1.) either ufurps the fovereign authority, and arrogates to himself a dominion to which he has no right: or, (2.) who, being, originally, a lawful prince, abuses his power, and governs contrary to law. But who dares to lay either of these accufations to the divine charge? God, as creator, has a most unquestionable and unlimited right over the fouls and bodies of men; unless it can be fuppofed, contrary to all Scripture and common fenfe, that, in making of man, he made a fet of beings fuperior to himself, and exempt from his jurifdiction. Taking it for granted, therefore, that God has an abfolute right of fovereignty over his creatures; if he fhould be pleafed (as the Scriptures repeatedly affure us that he is) to manifeft and difplay that right, by gracioufly faving fome, and juftly punishing others for their fins-Who are we, that we fhould reply. against God?

Neither does the ever bleffed Deity fall under the fecond notion of a tyrant; namely, as one who abufes his power, by acting contrary to law: for, by what exterior law is he bound, who is the fupreme lawgiver of all the univerfe? The laws, promulgated by him, are defigned for the rule of our conduct, not of his. Should it be objected, that "his own attributes of goodness and juftice, holiness and truh, are a law to himfelf;" I answer, that, admitting

this to be the cafe, there is nothing, in the decree of reprobation, as reprefented in Scripture, and by us from thence, which clashes with of those per

any

fections. With regard to the divine goodnefs, though the non-elect are not objects of it, in the fenfe the elect are; yet, even they are not wholly excluded from a participation of it. They enjoy the good things of providence, in common with God's children, and, very often, in a much higher degree. Befides, goodness, confidered as it is in God, would have been just the fame infinite and glorious attribute, fuppofing no rational beings had been created at all, or faved when created. To which may be added, that the goodness of the Deity does not cease to be infinite in itself, only because it is more extended to fome objects than it is to others: The infinity of this perfection, as refiding in God and coinciding with his effence, is fufficiently fecured, without fuppofing it to reach, indifcriminately, to all the creatures he has made. For, was this way of reasoning to be admitted, it would lead us too far, and prove too much: fince, if the infinity of his goodness is to be eftimated, by the number of objects, upon which it terminates; there would be an abfolute, proper infinity of reafonable beings, to terminate that goodnefs upon: confequently, it would follow, from fuch premifes, either, That the creation is as truly infinite, as the Creator: or, if otherwise, that the Creator's goodnefs could not be infinite, because it has not an infinity of objects to make happy*. Laftly, if it was not incompatible

with

* The late moft learned and judicious Mr. Charnock has, in my judgment at least, proved, moft clearly and fatisfactorily, that the exclufion of fome individual perfons, from a participation of saving grace, is perfectly confiftent with God's unlimited good nefs. He obferves, that "The goodness of the Deity is infinite, and circum fcribed by no limits. The exercise of his goodness may be limited by himself; but his goodness, the principle, cannot: for, fince his effence is infinite, and his goodness is not diftinguished from his

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effence;

with God's infinite goodness, to pass by the whole body of fallen angels, and leave them under the guilt of their apoftacy, much lefs can it clash with that attribute, to pafs by fome of fallen mankind, and refolved to leave them in their fins, and punish them for them. Nor is it inconfiftent with the divine juftice, to withhold faving grace from fome; seeing the grace of God is not what he owes to any. It is a free gift, to those that have it ; and is not due to

effence; it is infinite alfo. God is neceffarily good, in his nature; but free in his communications of it. He is neceffarily good, affectivè, in regard of his nature; but freely good, effectivè, in regard of the effluxes of it to this or that particular fubject he pitcheth upon. He is not neceffarily communicative of his goodness, as the fun of its light, or a tree of its cooling fhade, which chufes not its objects, but enlightens all indifferently, without variation or diftinction; this were to make God of no more understanding than the fun, which fhines, not where it pleases, but where it muft. He is an underftanding agent, and hath a fovereign right to chufe his own fubjects. It would not be fupreme, if it were not a voluntary goodness. It is agreeable to the nature of the higheft good, to be abfolutely free; and to difpenfe his goodnefs in what methods and measures he pleafes, according to the free determinations of his own will, guided by the wisdom of his mind, and regulated by the holiness of his nature. He will be good to whom he will be good. When he doth act, he cannot but act well; fo far it is neceflary: yet he may act this good or that good, to this or that degree: fo it is free: As it is the perfection of his nature, it is neceffary: as it is the communication of his bounty, it is voluntary. The eye cannot but fee, if it be open; yet it may glance on this or that colour, fix upon this or that object, as it is conducted by the will. What neceffity could there be on God, to refolve to communicate his goodness [at all]? It could not be to make himself better by it; for he had [before] a goodnes incapable of any addition. What obligation could there be from the creature? Whatever fparks of goodness any creature hath, are the free effufions of God's bounty, the offspring of his own inclination to do well, the fimple favour of the donor. God is as unconstrained in his liberty, in all his communications, as [he is] infinite in his goodness, the fountain of them." Charnock's Works, vol. 1. p. 583, &c. With whom agrees the excellent Dr. Bates (firnamed for his eloquence, the filver-tongued); and who, if he had a filver tongue, had likewife a golden pen: God," fays he, "is a wife and free agent; and as he is infinite in goodness, fo the exercife of it is voluntary, and only fo far as he pleases." Harm. of Div. Attrib. chap. 3.

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