Lastly, we desire to know, how it is possible to conceive a God, who, being in the actual enjoyment of perfect happiness, incomprehensible and supreme, could determine to add this degree, though useless, to his felicity, to create men without nuinber, for the purpose of confining them forever in chains of darkness, and burning them forever in unquenchable flames.

Such are the gulfs opened to us by these divines! As they conceive of the ways of God in a manner so much beyond comprehension, no people in the world have so much reason as they to exclaim, O the depths! How unsearchable are the ways of God! For my part, I own, I cannot enough wonder at men, who tell us in cool blood, that God created this universe on purpose to save one man, and to damn an hundred thousand: that neither sighs, nor prayers, nor tears, nor groans, can revoke this decree; that we must submit to the sentence of a God, whose glory requires the creation of all these people for destruction? I say, I cannot sufficiently express my astonishment at seeing people maintain these propositions with inflexibility and insensibility, without attempting to mitigate or limit the subject; yea, who tell us that all this is extremely plain and free from every difficulty, and that none of our objections deserve an answer.

Such being the difficulties of the several systems of the decrees of God, it should seem, there is but one part to take, and that is, to embrace the plan of our churches; for although it is evident by the reflections we have made, that the subject is obscure, yet it is that of all which is most conformable to the light of reason, and to the holy scriptures. We believe that God from a principle of goodness created mankind-that it was agreeable to his wis

dom to form man free-that the root of mankind, Adam, our unhappy father, abused his libertythat his descendants have added to their natural depravity, and to the sins of their ancestors, many crimes of their own-that a conduct so monstrous rendered parents and children worthy of eternal misery, so that without violating the laws of justice, God might forever punish both-that having foreseen from all eternity these misfortunes, he resolved from all eternity to take from this unworthy mass of condemned creatures a certain number of men to be saved-that for them he sent his Son into the world-that he grants them his spirit to apply the benefits of the death of his Son-and that this spirit conducts them by the hearing of the word to sanctification, and from sanctification to eternal felicity. This in a few words is the system of our churches.

Hereupon, if you ask, how it happens that two men to whom Christ is preached, the one receives and the other rejects him? We answer with St. Paul, this difference is, that the purpose of God according to election might stand. If you ask again, whence comes this choice, how is it that God chooses to give his spirit, and to display his mercy to one, and that he chooses to make the other a victim to his justice? We answer, God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth; that is, leaveth him to his own insensibility. If you inquire further, how God can, without injuring his holiness, leave a man to his own hardness? We reply, that God is master of his creature, and that the potter hath power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. If you still demand, what then is the use of our ministry, and what right hath God to complain

that so many sinners persist in impenitence, since he hath resolved to leave them in it? To this we answer, Who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?

After all these questions, should you appeal to our consciences to know whether our own answers fully satisfy ourselves; whether our arguments may not be turned against us; whether the objections we have made against others do not seem to conclude against ourselves; and whether the system we have proposed to you appear to ourselves free from difficulty; to this we reply, by putting our finger upon our mouth: we acknowledge our ignorance: we cannot rend the veil under which God hath concealed his mysteries: we declare, that our end in choosing this subject was less to remove difficulties than to press them home, and by these means to make you feel the toleration which christians mutually owe one another on this article. It was with this view that we led you to the brink of this abyss of God, and endeavored to engage you to exclaim here, as well as on the borders of other abysses, O the depth, of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

So much for the deep things of God, considered as objects astonishing and transporting the mind. Now let us consider them as objects productive of virtue and holiness. As the doctrine we have been establishing is most sublime in speculation,so is it most effectual in practice. Recall what we said on the darkness in which God conceals himself. Remember this obscurity is every where mixed with light, a sort of twilight. There is obscurity in our natural ideas, obscurity in the works

of nature, obscurity in the conduct of providence, obscurity in many doctrines of revelation. Amidst all this darkness, I discover one certain principle, one particle of pure light emitting brightness without obscurity, one truth which natural ideas, the whole creation, the ways of providence, and the language of revelation concur to teach us, that is, that a holy life is necessary.

We do not make this reflection by way of introducing scepticism, and to diminish the certainty of the doctrines which it hath pleased God to reveal. Woe be to us, if while we labor with one hand to establish the foundations of religion, we endeavor to subvert them with the other! Far from us be those modern Vaninis, who, under pretence of making us consider the deity as covered with holy darkness, would persuade us that he is an inconsistent being, and that the religion he addresseth to us shocks reason, and is incompatible with itself. But whence is it, pray, that amidst all the obscurities that surround us, God hath placed practical duties in a light so remarkably clear? Whence is it that doctrines most clearly revealed are however so expressed as to furnish difficulties, if not substantial and real, yet likely and apparent: and that the practical part is so clearly revealed, that it is not liable to any objections which have any shew or color of argument? My brethren, either we must deny the wisdom of the Creator, or we must infer this consequence, that what is most necessary to be known, what will be most fatal to man to neglect, what we ought most inviolably to preserve in practical religion.

Let us apply this general reflection to the deep decrees of God. If the foundation of God stands sure, you can have no true joy or solid content, till you have each of you decided this great ques

tion; am I one of the vessels of mercy decreed unto glory? Or am I one of the vessels of wrath fitting to destruction? But how can I satisfy my. self on this question at the same time so obscure and so important? The decree is impenetrable. The book of life is sealed. We have told you a thousand times, that there is no other way than by examining whether you bear the marks of election, and your whole vocation is to endeavor to acquire them. These characters, you know, are patience, gentleness, charity, humility, detachment from the world, and all other christian virtues. It belongs to you to exercise them. A little less spe. culation and more practice. Let us become less curious, and try to be more holy. Let us leave God to arrange his own decrees, and for our parts let us arrange our actions, and regulate our lives. Do not say, if I be predestinated to salvation, I shall be saved without endeavoring. You would be wicked to make this objection, for although you are persuaded that your days are numbered, yet you do not omit to eat, and drink, and take care of your health. In this manner you should act in regard to your salvation.

And we, ministers of Jesus Christ, what is our duty? Why are we sent to this people? Is it to fathom the decrees of predestination and reprobation? As the spirit of God hath revealed these mysteries, it is right to treat of them in the course of our ministry, and we should think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, were we to suppress this part of religion. But after all, must we stop here? Must this be the principal subject of our sermons? God forbid we should so ill understand the end of our ministry! I would as willingly see a physician, when he is consulted in a dangerous illness, employ himself in discoursing on