wife part, than those who reject one as not true, and im poffible, merely because they cannot fee their confift

ence.

prediction moft

There are innumerable inftances in the fcriptures, of God's determining and foretelling the voluntary actions of men, and the events dependent on them: And yet, in those actions, they are reprefented as free and accountable, as finful or virtuous, and blameable or commendable; as much fo, as if their actions had not been thus fixed and foreknown. There is not perhaps, a There is not perhaps, a produc tion in the Bible, which is not an inftance of this; and moft of those predations do fix and declare to be certain, innumerable voluntary actions of men, which are either expressly foretold, or neceffarily implied in the prophecy. Only a few inftances, out of the many, will here be mentioned, as fufficient to illuftrate this obfervation. The conduct of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, towards the children of Ifrael, was determined and foretold long before it took place, to Abraham and to Mofes : And yet they were confidered and treated as moral agents, and culpable, and were punished for those very actions which were foreordained and foretold. God faid to Abraham, "Know of a furety, that thy feed shall be a ftranger in a land that is not theirs, and fhall ferve them, and they fhall afflict them four hundred years. And also, that nation whom they fhall ferve, will I judge." And God told Abraham that he would bring his feed from Egypt into the land of Canaan, after four hundred years, which event depended on millions of millions of voluntary actions of that people, and of others. And he promised the fame thing to Mofes, and that they should hearken to him, when he sent him into Egypt to deliver them; and that they should worship God in Mount Sinai; and he faid to Mofes, "I am fure that the king of Egypt will not let you go. you go. And I will stretch out my hand, and Imite Egypt, and after that, he will let you go."

God

free

God told Mofes that the people of Ifrael would apol tatife after his death, and practise idolatry, &c. and that he would punish them for it. Upon which Mofes faid to them, "I know that after my death, ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn afide from the way which I have commanded you: And evil will befal you in the latter days, because ye will do evil in the fight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger, through the work of your hands."

The rife, grandeur and ruin of particular kingdoms and empires, are foretold as fixed and certain, which depended on innumerable voluntary actions of innumerable men, and could not be accomplished without them; which therefore must be fixed and certain. The Perfian, Grecian and Roman empires, are inftances of this, as well as many other kingdoms.

The evil that Hazael did to the children of Ifrael, was foretold, and therefore determined and fixed, long before he did it. And the particular actions of Cyrus, and of Jofiah, were determined and foretold long before they were born: Yet this did not render them the lefs free and accountable as moral agents, in what they did.

But one inftance more, among the many thousands that might be produced from the Bible, will now be mentioned. It is that of the Jews crucifying our Lord. It was before fixed and written that thus it must be ; and by their voluntary conduct in this affair, God fulfilled those things which he before had fhewed by the of all his prophets And, in putting Chrift to death, they did the very things which his hand and counfel determined before to be done. Surely he who will well attend to this, muft be fenfible that to fay, that God's foreordaining whatsoever comes to pass, is inconfiftent with the liberty and moral agency of man, does at the fame time affirm, at leaft implicitly, that it is impoffible the Bible fhould

be from God.

Therefore,

vois

Therefore, feeing the previous infallible certainty of all things which come to pass, is neceffarily implied in the foreknowledge of God, and the former cannot be rejected, without denying the latter: And fince reafon teaches that a Being of infinite power, wisdom and goodness, on whom all things absolutely depend for their exiftence, and every mode and circumftance of it, muft de termine by the counsel of his own will, and foreordain whatsoever comes to pals; and that it is infinitely important and defirable that he should do it, and that all events should be determined by infinite wisdom, rather than by any thing elfe: And fince, according to our own feeling and experience, this is confiftent with our freedom and moral agency: And fince Divine Revelation abundantly afferts both thefe; and declares men to be moral agents, and accountable in those actions which have been foreordained and fixed by divine counfel and decrees; and therefore to deny these to be confiftent, is really to renounce the Bible: When all these things are well confidered, will it not appear to be amazing boldness, and the height of ftupidity and arrogance, in a fallen, fhort fighted, ignorant man, liable to a thousand prejudices and mis takes, confidently, and without hesitation to pronounce these two doctrines abfolutely inconfiftent with each other? How much more modeft, reasonable, and becoming us, is it to believe them both to be true and perfectly confiftent? And if any have not yet been able to fee how they may be reconciled; let them not rafhly conclude that no man ever did, or ever will fee their confiftence with each other, and reduce it to a plain demonstration: Nor ought they themselves fo to despair of receiving light and full fatisfaction on this point, as to neglect all means and attempts to obtain it; but ought rather, with a proper fenfe of the importance of the matter, and their accountablenefs to God, for their belief and feelings refpeting it; and with humble, fervent, conftant application

application to the Father of Lights, for a wife and underftanding heart; carefully to attend to the fubject, and diligently improve every opportunity and advantage they may have to obtain that understanding which is pleasant to the foul, and more precious than the finest gold.

Attention to the foregoing preliminaries, it is hoped, has, in fome measure, prepared the mind to a careful and candid examination of this point, about which there has been fo much dispute in our world. Therefore the queltion will now be resumed, which is, How the divine decrus, foreordaining whatfoever comes to pass, can be confiftent with the freedom and moral agency of man?

There can be no light refpecting this question; nor can it be determined, without proper, precife and con fiftent ideas of both these fubjects, about which the inquiry is made, the Divine decrees, and the freedom essential to moral agency. Without this, it will be impoffible to determine whether they be confiftent with each other, or not; and if we affirm, or deny, we fhall talk in the dark," not knowing what we say, or whereof we affirm." My neighbour now comes into my study, and alks, whether a table he has made for me, can be introduced and have room here? I ask him, what is the length and breadth of it? He answers, it is three yards fquare. I tell him, it can then be of no use to me, nor can it be introduced. He is confident I am miftaken. And after fome difpute, we, at length conclude to take a common meafure and.apply it to the table, and to my door and fudy. Upon this the matter is foon decided, and it is found that the former agrees exactly with the latter; for his yard was found to be but twelve inches long.

To prevent, as far as poffible, all mistakes concerning the doctrine of God's decrees, it must be observed, that it may be juftly confidered as a medium between the two extremes, viz. of a fuppofed fatality in all things; every thing, and all events, being unalterably fixed by

blind and undefigning fate, on the one hand, and on the other, of a perfect contingence and uncertainty respecting all future events, there being no cause or reason of their taking place; but all things come to pafs by mere chance. It would be infinitely undefirable, and dreadful, if either of these opposite extremes were true, or poffible, as they certainly are not, each of them implying fuch abfurdity, contradiction and impoffibility, that it may be préfumed no one ever yet had a real idea or conception of either.

All things, and every event, are indeed fixed by the decree of God; but they are wifely, and therefore most happily, contrived and adjusted, as has been before obferved, fo as to make one moft wife, confiftent, and abfolutely perfect plan: And in which the freedom and moral agency of rational creatures are effectually fecured (if this can be done by infinite wifdom, clothed with omnipotence; and whether this be poffible is now to be confidered) and made a neceffary and effential part of the divine plan.

This leads more particularly to observe, that this doctrine does not imply, but totally excludes a notion," which many have had of the Divine decrees, which fupposes that certain events, especially thofe which are the greatest and most important to man, are fixed and made certain, independent of the agency of man, and of any means whatsoever; and wholly unconnected with any thing of this kind; fo that they will come to pass just as they are decreed, let man's conduct be what it may. For inftance, they fuppofe that if the time of a man's death be appointed; he will live to that time, whatever means necessary to preserve his life fhall be neglected, as eating and drinking, &c. and whatever means may be done to take away his life. And if it be decreed that a particular perfon fhall be faved, or he be elected to life, he fhall certainly be faved, let him conduct as he will; and though

he