infinity absorbs the whole capacity of our minds. An example will explain our meaning. Suppose two philosophers subsisting before the creation of this world, and conversing together on the plan of the world which God was about to create; suppose the first of these philosophers affirming-God is about to create intelligent creatures; he could, communicate such a degree of knowledge to them as would necessarily conduct them to supreme happiness, but he intends to give them reason, which may be abused, and may conduct them from ignorance to vice, and from vice to misery. Moreover God is about to create a world in which virtue will almost always be found in irons, and vice on a throne, tyrants will be crowned, and pious people confounded. Suppose the first of our philophers to maintain these theses, would not the second have reasoned against this plan, would he not in all appearance have had a right to affirm-It is impossible, God being full of goodness, should create men whose existence would be fatal to their happiness: it is impossible a being supremely holy, should permit sin to enter into the world? Yet how plausible soever the reasons of this philosopher might have then appeared, the event has since justified the truth of the first plan.-It is certain God hath created the world on the plan of the first, and it is also as certain that the world hath nothing incompatible with the perfections of God, how dif ficult soever we may find it to answer objections. It is our diminutiveness, the narrow limits of our

minds, and the immensity of the Deity, which prevent our knowing how far his attributes can go.

"Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning; grant that we may in such wise hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed of everlasting life, which though hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen."†

* Sermons de Saurin, Vol. II. Sur les Tourmens de L' Enfer. Robinson's Translation, Vol. III. Sermon XIII.

+ Collect for second Sunday in Advent.

DISSERTATION III.

ON THE DOCTRINE OF PREDESTINATION; OR MODERATE CALVINISM CONSIDERED AS THE SAFE PATH BETWEEN TWO EXTREMES.

Of all the writings of the amiable and excellent Dr. Watts, I have sometimes been most delighted with the following passage. "After all my studi"ous enquiries into the noble subject of spirits, I

"

am far from being arrived at an assurance of the "truth of my opinions. The speediest way to full "assurance in, any point is to read only one side " of a controversy! They are generally the confi"dent and infallible dictators to mankind, who

see no difficulty, and admit no doubt. I must "confess I have followed a different method of "of study, and therefore have so few indubitables among my philosophical acquirements. But

though I cannot pronounce certainty on my sen"timents on this argument, yet I have been loth

to renounce and obliterate them all at once, and "to leave so vast a vacancy among my intellectual ideas, unless I could have found some tolerable

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system of the nature and operations of our souls, "to put in the room of it, which was attended "with less or fewer difficulties: but this I have "sought in vain, both in my own meditations, and among the works of the learned."

As far as christian modesty is superior to sour dogmatical sophistry, so far does this chaste and

humble language excel the bold assertions of some rash intruders into things not seen as yet. If human science blushes before one single finite human spirit,-Almighty Father! All created intelligence must prostrate before thee! Who dare sail on the immense ocean of thy perfections? Who can speculate the heights, fathom the depths, compass the lengths and breadths of this vast profound! Where, O God, shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man know, eth not the price thereof: neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith it is not in me: and the sea saith it is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof: no mention shall be made of jewels, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. Whence then cometh wisdom? God understandeth the way thereof: unto man he said, behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. To what then are all our best speculations reducible? To practice. Yes, after all our voluminous disputes, after all our theological wars, after all our fine spun theories, the fear of the Lord THAT is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding? We are to examine the "five points" with this view, wholly to reject them if they do not answer this end, heartily to receive that explanation of them which does. We will endeavour briefly to explain our meaning, offer our proofs, and point out the use and abuse of each.

PREDESTINATION is the determined plan of all God's works, considered as in his eternal mind. This plan producing certain real positive existences, is called creation; as it regards the government of all these creatures, it is called providence; as it determines the salvation of some, it is called election: and as it implies the damnation of others, it is called reprobation.-To understand these we ought to examine with the foregoing maxims in our eyes, to maintain a certain scriptural justness of thought, a certain point, which, if we pass, we err through excess, and if we drop short of, we err through defect. That the great Supreme, when he created the world, produced nothing but what he had a pattern of before in his own mind, is beyond contradiction.-That in his arranging and modifying all his creatures, he governed by a plan, fixing and determining laws of causes and effects, determining one thing to produce another, relating several events to one fixed end,-all these who can doubt? Who help admiring? Should christianity be silent on these articles, even paganism herself would cry out.-That the salvation of one man, and destruction of another could never have been effected without their existence, without the concurrence of many providential events, in short, without the prescience and agency of God, is plain to every thinking man.-Accordingly scripture ascribes creation to his wisdom, providence to his power, election to his love, and reprobation to his justice-or to speak more pro