the Scriptures of truth in representing “mer"cy as the darling perfection of his nature, "and that, in the glory whereof he is most "principally delighted"." When the heathen described the Deity by his two attributes of Optimus, Maximus, the Beft and the Greatest, it was not without reason, that he gave precedence to that which denoted his goodness, over that which fignified his power. When on the delivery of the Law, revealed as it was in terror, the Lord proclaimed his name to Mofes, he fhewed the quality of those attributes, wherein he moft delighted; for he placed in the front of the proclamation, "The Lord, the "Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-fuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands; forgiving ini"quity, and tranfgreffion, and fin." And when the Apostle of the Gospel teaches us, that "God is love," he appears defirous of magnifying beyond measure this most adorable of the divine perfections; of concentrating in it (if I may fo express myself) the rest of the divine attributes; and of identifying the Godhead with love.

"His mercy is over all his works:" the

• Stebbing on the Spirit, chap. vi. sect. 7.

s Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7.

predeftinarian acknowledges it, but denies that it is his faving mercy"." Yet what is this but to deny the most glorious exercife of the attribute?" Doth God take care for oxen*?" faith the Apostle: yea, faith this doctrine, much better than for man: for them he bountifully provides all that is needful for them; but man, finful, fallen, but ftill immortal man, formed in the image of God, and still retaining in his reasonable and living foul fome portion of his likeness to his divine original, from him he thuts up the bowels of his compaffion, and excludes him from his loving-kindness and mercy. "Delighting as he does in mercy and in the exercife of loving-kindness';' abounding in love, even for his enemies; nay, even "waiting to be gracious," and "ftretch"ing out his hands all the day long unto a rebellious people *;" and "not afflicting willingly nor grieving the children of men":" how can we reconcile it to this attribute of the Godhead, that he fhould form millions and millions of rational and immortal creatures for the very purpose of making them eternally miferable; that he should place them in a state of pretended trial, where he has previously de

u Whitefield, vol. iv. p. 69.

y Micah vii. 18.

a If. xxx. 18. lxv. 2.

* I Cor. ix. 9.
z Jer. ix. 24.

b Lam. iii. 33.

creed them to be, and actually renders them, incapable of fuccefs; infpire them with hopes, which he has made impoffible to be realized; and place before their view prospects of happiness, which he has put it totally out of their power to attain?" Is not this," demands a late dignitary of our Church, "to represent "the good God in a very injurious light, as if "he was not only partial, but exceedingly "cruel? We are always taught, that it is our

duty, our intereft, and our happiness, to be like God, and to imitate his divine perfec"tions as near as we can. But surely fuch conduct as this, no good man, no honest

man, would choose to imitate, but would deteft and abhor. How then dare we af"cribe that conduct to Him, which is fo unworthy of ourselves, and would be such a difgrace to us?”

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56

3. Again; he is a God of holiness; an attribute, which one of our old Divines reprefents, "as his fovereign attribute; as that,

which of all others God doth, and which of "all others we should, most esteem." In correfpondence with this attribute, it is the caution of the wife fon of Sirach, "Say not thou, "it is through the Lord that I fell away; for

c Dean Tucker's Sermon on Rom. ix. 21,

d Bishop Andrews; fixth fermon on the Holy Ghoft,

"thou oughteft not to do the things that he "hateth fay not thou, he hath caufed me to 66 err; for he hath no need of the finful man".". And to the fame effect St. James, with divine. authority, admonishes us, "Let no man fay, "when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; "for God tempteth not any man'." But what is it to reprefent him with Calvin, as fitting and preparing men by "crimes for deftruc"tion";" what is it to represent him, with Gomar, as "not only predeftinating man to

death, but fo also predeftinating him to fin; "the only way to death";" or to defcribe him with Pifcator, as having fo abfolutely "and efficaciously determined the will of every man, that he cannot do more good

e Ecclus. xv. II, 12.

f Jam. i. 13.

8 Quia perditum Deus volebat, obftinatio cordis divina fuit ad ruinam præparatio. Calv. Inft. II. iv. 3.

Dubium non eft, quin utraque præparatio ab arcano Dei confilio pendeat. Comm. in Rom. ix. 23.

h" Gomarus, who faw that his iron was in the fire, be"gan to tell us, that Epifcopius had falfified the tenent of "reprobation; that no man taught that God abfolutely "decreed to caft man away without fin: but as he did "decree the end, so he did decree the means: that is, as "he predestinated man to death, so he predeftinated him "to fin, the only way to death: and fo he mended the question, as tinkers mend kettles, and made it worse "than it was before." Hales's Letters from Dort. G. R. P. 435.

k

than he really does, nor omit more evil than "he really omits';" or to allow with Zanchius, that "the reprobate are bound by the "ordinance of God under the neceffity of finning*;" or to affirm with Beza, that "God "hath predeftinated, not only unto damna"tion, but also unto the caufes of it, whomso"ever he saw meet';" or to affert with Zuinglius, that "God moveth the robber to kill,

i Ergo tu fateris iftic ingenue, Deum ab æterno efficaciter abfoluteque decreviffe, ne quifpiam hominum plus boni faciat, quam reipfa facit, aut plus mali omittat, quam reipfa omittit. Pifcat. ad C. Vorftii amicam Dupl. refp. P. 175. ed. 1618.

* Quia reprobatio immutabilis eft, &c. damus reprobos neceffitate peccandi, eoque et pereundi, ex hac Dei ordinatione conftringi: atque ita conftringi, ut nequeant non peccare et perire.-Non dubitamus itaque confiteri, ex immutabili reprobatione neceffitatem peccandi, et quidem fine refipifcentia ad mortem ufque peccandi, eoque et æternas pœnas dandi, reprobis incumbere. Zanchius de Nat. Dei, lib. v. cap. 2. de Prædeft. Op. Tom. ii. p. 571.

1 Refpondeo,-ordine caufarum, priufquam illum conderet, de fine, cujus caufa illum erat conditurus, ac demum de caufis ipfis mediis, per quas ipfos erat ad conftitutum finem adducturus, conftanter et immoto propofito ftatuiffe. Ex quo confequitur recte et vere dici, omnes reprobos factos effe in Adamo fimul eodemque momento, ficut Deus ab æterno conftituerat, non tantum vafa, id eft homines, fed etiam vafa iræ, id eft homines juftæ per medias caufas in ipfis reprobis hærentes damnationi, per media quidem contingenter fequuturæ, ex decreto Dei autem prorfus neceffario eventuræ, deftinatos. Beza de Prædeft. Op. vol. iii. p. 431. Col. i. ed. 1582.