case had been otherwise. But since, in the nature of things, it was fit he should be at liberty, and act according to his own discretion; and since the end he had in view was so noble and godlike, his conduct in this affair was infinitely right, fit, and becoming, and so infinitely glorious. Certainly God thought it was so, or he would not have done as he did; and therefore, if we view things as God did, and have a temper and frame of heart like unto his, we shall think so too. And, as I said before, it is horrid pride and impudence for us to pretend to know better than the infinitely wise God, and infinite wickedness for us to pretend to find fault with his conduct. Rom. ix. 19-23*. Thus, if he had aimed merely at the happiness of his creatures, he could easily have so ordered that Pharaoh should willingly have let Israel go, and he could have led Israel in less than forty days to the promised land, and put them into an immediate possession: but there was something else which he had a greater regard to; and therefore Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and all his wonders are wrought in the land of Egypt. The tribes of Israel march to the borders of the Red Sea; the sea parts; Israel goes through, but the Egyptians are drowned. And now Israel is tempted and tried, and they sin and rebel, and so are doomed to wander forty years in the wilderness, and to have their carcasses fall there. And why was all this? Why, because his design was to display all his perfections, and fill the whole earth with his glory. Exod. ix. 16. Numb. xiv. 21. And now, because it is the most noble thing that God can have in view, to act forth all his perfections to the life, and so exhibit the most exact

* OBJ. But surely it could not be consistent with the divine goodness, from all eternity, to decree the everlasting misery of his creatures.

ANS.-God has in fact permitted sin to enter into the world; does in fact permit many to die in their sins; will in fact punish them for ever; and all consistent with the infinite goodness of his nature, as every one must acknow. ledge. And since it is consistent with his goodness to to do as he does, it was consistent with his goodness, to determine with himself beforehand to de so: What God, from eternity, decreed to do, that God, in time will do: therefore, if all God's conduct be holy, just, and good, so also are all his decrees; unless we can suppose it to be wrong for the infinitely wise God, from all eternity to determine upon a conduct in all respects right: than which nothing can be more absurd.

representation of himself in his works; therefore, it is infinitely fit he should make this his last end, and all other things subservient; and his conduct in so doing is infinitely beautiful and glorious. Thus we see how the goodness of God is displayed in his government of the world, and see that it is an unbounded, rich, free goodness; and that all the exercises of it are sovereign, and under the direction of his infinite wisdom: so that God is infinitely glorious on the account of this perfection of his nature. Exod. xxxiii. 19. xxxiv. 5, 6, 7.

Rom. ix. Eph. i. 1—12.

(7.) His unchangeable truth and faithfulness are also discovered in his government of the world; and that in the fulfilment of his promises, and the execution of his threatenings. Did he promise to be Abraham's God? So he was. Did he promise to give the land of Canaan to his seed for an inheritance? So he did. Did he promise to send his Son into the world, and to set him up a kingdom upon earth? Even so he has done. And he is in like manner true and faithful to all his promises which he has made to his people. And did he threaten to drown the old world; to make Israel wander forty pears in the wilderness; to deliver them into the hands of their enemies, at what time soever they should forsake him, and go and serve other gods, and, finally, to send them captives into Babylon for seventy years? Even so he has done. God's word may always be depended upon; for what he designs, that he says; and what he says, that he will do. And this is another of the glorious perfections of his nature.

Thus all the perfections of God are discovered in his government of the world. By his conduct we may see what he is, and learn the very temper of his heart. And now, I might go through his other works-his redeeming, justifying, sanctifying sinners, and bringing them to eternal glory at last, and show how his glorious perfections shine forth in them. But I have already hinted at some of these things, and shall have occasion afterwards to view the divine perfections shining forth in these works of God, when I come to consider the nature of the gospel. Sufficient has been said to answer my present purpose; and, therefore, for brevity's sake, I will proceed no further here. Thus, then, we see how the perfections of God are manifested in his works.

Secondly. The same representation is made of God in his WORD: For these great works of God, his creating, preserving, and governing the world; his redeeming, sanctifying, and saving sinners, are the subject-matter of all the Bible. God, in his works, acts out his perfections, and, in his word, lays the whole before our eyes in writing. Therein he has told us what he has done, and what he intends to do; and so has delineated his glorious perfections in the plainest manner. In his word, God has revealed himself to the children of men; has manifested and shown what he is. But how? Why, by declaring and holding forth his works, as that in which he has exhibited the image of himself. Thus, the scriptures begin with an account of God's creating the world, and go on throughout all the Old Testament, informing how he preserves and governs it: And, then, in the New Testament, we are informed more particularly how he redeems, justifies, sanctifies, and saves sinners. And now, as the actions of a man discover the temper and disposition of his heart, and show what he is, so the works of God, from first to last, all taken together, hold forth an exact representation of himself. If we will begin with God's creating the world, and survey all his conduct in the light of scripture; his conduct towards man before the fall, and after the fall; his conduct towards Abel and Cain, Enoch and Noah, and all the old world; his conduct towards Lot and Sodom; towards Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph; towards the children of Israel, in Egypt, at the Red Sea, in the wilderness, at Sinai, at Masah, at Taberah, &c. and in the times of Joshua, of their Judges, of their Kings, &c. and then come into the New Testament, and survey his conduct with relation to the redemption and salvation of sinners, and then look forward to the great judgment-day, and see his whole scheme finished; see the result, the conclusion, and end of all; look up to heaven and take a view of that world, and look down to hell and survey the state of things there; from the whole we may see what God is: for in the whole, God exerts his nature, and, by the whole, God designs to exhibit an exact representation of himself. And, then, are our apprehensions of God right, and according

to truth, when we take in that very representation which he has made of himself. And now to account him infinitely glorious in being what he is, and to love him with all our hearts, because he is what he is, is the very thing which the law of God requires.

And, indeed, so plain is that representation which God has made of himself, by his works and in his word; and he is really so infinitely glorious in being what he is, that were not mankind, through their exceeding great depravity, entirely void of a right taste, and relish for true beauty, they could not but be even ravished with the divine Being. They would naturally feel as they do in heaven, and naturally speak their language, Holy, holy holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glor! Isaiah vi. 3. But such is the vile temper of sinful, apostate creatures, that they are not only blind to the moral excellency of the divine nature, but are even in a stated, habitual contrariety to God in the frame of their hearts. Rom. viii. 7. And hence, the manifestation which God has made of himself, can find no place in their hearts. John viii. 37. They cannot attend to things of such a-nature, (ver. 43.) because so disagreeable to their taste; for, (ver. 47.) He that is of God, heareth God's word; ye, therefore, hear them not, because ye are not of God. It is hard to bring unregenerate men so much as to have right notions of what God is, because he is a Being in his nature so contrary and disagreeable to them. They do not like to retain God in their knowledge. Rom. i. 28. Men had rather that God was another kind of Being, different from what he really is, and more like themselves; one that would suit their temper, and serve their interest: and, therefore, they frame such an one in their own fancy, and then fall down and worship the false image which they have set up. From hence it is, that all those false notions of God have taken their rise, which have always filled the world. But were men brought to have right notions of what God is, and to take in that very representation which he has made of himself, by his works and in his word; yet they would be so far from accounting him infinitely glorious in being what he is, that they would see no form or comeliness in him wherefore they should desire

him: but would feel the like malignant spirit towards him as the Jews did towards their prophets, and towards Christ and his apostles, only in a worse degree. The same temper which caused the exercise of such enmity towards their prophets, and towards Christ and his apostles, would have caused as great or greater towards God himself, had they but had right notions of him. And the clearer apprehension a sinner has of God, the more will his enmity exert itself; because a sinful nature and a holy nature are diametrically opposite to each other: and, therefore, the clearest external revelation of God cannot bring sinners to love him. All the world will see just what kind of Being he is at the day of judgment, and that in a very plain and clear manner. But yet they whose nature it is to hate him for being what he is, will hate him still; yea, hate him more than ever: and, therefore, besides the external revelation which God has made of himself, by his works and in his word, there is an absolute necessity that he should internally reveal himself in his glory to the heart of a sinner, in order to beget divine love there. Which brings me to add,

Thirdly. God reveals his infinite glory in being what he is in the hearts of sinners, by his Holy SPIRIT. Matt. xi. 25. 27. By his works and in his word he has revealed what he is, and that in a manner sufficiently plain; even so plainly that there is no need at all of any further objective revelation; and he is really infinitely glorious in being what he is. Now, therefore, if we would rightly attend to that revelation which God has made of himself, we could not but have right apprehensions of him; and if we had a good taste for true beauty, we could not but be ravished with his glory; but we are naturally disinclined to right apprehensions of God, and are entirely destitute of a true taste for moral beauty. And hence we may learn what kind of inward illumination we stand in need of from the spirit of God. We do not need the Holy Spirit to reveal any new truths concerning God, not already revealed; for the external revelation which he has made of himself, is sufficiently full. We do not need to have the Holy Spirit immediately reveal all these truths concerning God over again to us, by way of objective revelation, or im