himself, and most becoming his excellent greatness, as altogether above them, if it had not been revealed. They what is most strictly just. Therefore that when his most cannot, when they behold a full, glorious vindication of transcendant greatness is represented in terms as high and the offence and wrong done to their common Lord, and great as could come under human conception, (Heb. ii. 10.) the dignity of his government, by his revolted creatures, He, viz. for whom are all things, and by whom are all antecedent to the reception of any of them into grace and things; (and what could sound higher?) As such it is favour, but highly admire the lovely comeliness and con considered what was most becoming of him; and deter-gruity of this whole dispensation, and express their plea mined that it became Him, for and by whom all things sant resentments, by bearing a part with the redeemed were, since there was one (though so great a one) that had society in such strains of praise, such admirations and apundertaken for sinners, to be the Prince or Prefect over plauses, as these: "Holy and marvellous are thy works, the great affair of their salvation, especially being to make | Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy judgments, thou them, of rebels, sons, and as such, bring them to glory, King of nations and of saints!" out of the meanest and most abject state; that he should not be made perfect, (not be duly initiated into his great office, or not be complete master of his design,) otherwise than by his own intervening suffering. Meaner persons might do as became their meaner condition; but He, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, must do as best became the most glorious greatness of Him, who is the First and the Last, the Author and End of all things?

XI. We are prone to confine our apprehensions of things to our own narrow sphere, that have reference also to another besides, and greater than ours. If God had no creatures but inan, capable of government by laws, the case had been much other than it is; for considering that men have all been in one common case of apostacy and condemnation, they who should be restored to favour and a happy state, should have no reason to look strangely upon one another, whatsoever the way and terms were of their restitution, being all dealt with alike. But we are to design a larger field and scene for our thoughts, and to consider, that besides men, that shall be restored from a fallen and lapsed state, there are numberless myriads of pure and loyal spirits, that never fell, and with whom restored men are to make one entire, happy community, for ever. Now we are to consider what aspect the matter would have in their eyes, if not a single person, or two, but so vast a multitude, (and not guilty of some light, transient offence only, but of insolent, malicious enmity and rebellion against the divine government, propagated and transmitted from age to age, through all the successions of time,) should be brought in upon them, to partake in the dignities and blessedness of their state, without any reparation made of so great and continuing an injury! Though their perfect subjection in all things to the good pleasure of God would not allow them to be exceptious, and apt to censure his doings or determinations, yet also his most perfect wisdom and exact judgment, and knowledge of what is in itself most fit, could much less admit he should do any thing liable to be censured by his creatures, as less fit. And no doubt so large and capacious intellects may well be supposed to penetrate far into the reason and wisdom of his dispensations; and so not only to exercise submission, in an implicit acquiescence in the unseen and only believed fitness of them, but also to take an inexpressible complacency and satisfaction in what they manifestly discern thereof, and to be able to resolve their delectation in the ways and works of God into a higher cause and reason than the mere general belief that he doth all things well; viz. their immediate, delightful view of the congruity and fitness of what he does. When they behold the apostacy and revolt of the sons of men expiated not by one of themselves, but with whom the Divine Nature, in his own Son, was so intimately united, that the atonement made was both fit, as from them, and adequate, as to him; this they cannot but behold with complacential approbation and admiration; for, no doubt, he made creatures of such a capacity, with a design to gratify the understandings he gave them, by approving and recommending the exactness and accuracy of his methods thereto; otherwise, a far lower measure of intellectual ability, in these creatures, had answered the Creator's purpose as well. They certainly cannot but approve that way he hath taken, for itself; and do doubtless stoop down to look into it, not with less complacency than wonder; it being, in the congruity of it, as suitable to their bright and clear intellects, being revealed, as for the strange contrivance thereof it had been

Ο αρχηγον.

XII. Upon the whole, there appears sufficient reason to conclude, not only upon the account of justice more strictly taken, but also of congruity and fitness, or according to such a larger notion of justice as imports an inflexible propension to do what is fit and congruous to be done, it was indispensably necessary the holy God should, in order to his return to his temple among men, insist to have a recompense made for the wrong that was done him by the violation of it. Nor let this be understood to detract from, but add to, what hath been above discoursed of justice, taken in a most strict sense, and most appropriate to God, as it is, primarily and in the first place, conservative of his own most sacred rights; which must be, by conse quence, vindictive of the violation of them: and this is the original justice, (as his are the original rights, and the fountain of all other,) and must have had place, though he had settled no express constitution of government. And also as, secondarily, it is conservative of the rights of the governed community, which, by the constitution, once settled, accrue to it.

Whereupon also it may be understood, in what sense punishments, passively taken, are to be accounted debts. And it is fitter to distinguish, and thereupon to explain, how they are or are not so, than at random to deny they are so at all, when our Lord hath taught us to pray," For give us our debts;" and when it is so plain in itself, that he who by delinquency hath forfeited his life, is most truly said to owe it to justice. Yea, and when, though the creditor pana is said not to be so easily assignable, yet no doubt at all is made concerning the debtor; for how ab surdly should he be said to be a debtor, that owes no debt! Therefore punishments are not of the nature of those debts, that according to the rules of communicative justice, arise by contract between man and man; and which, as they arise by consent between the two covenanting parties, may as well cease by consent. But nothing hinders, but they may be such debts as are to be estimated by the distributive justice of rulers, whereof we must either say, that of some, justice doth oblige human and secular rulers to exact the punishment; or else, that magistratical justice would allow the remitting of all, and that no offences of any kind be ever at all punished. But if the justice of any secular rulers oblige them to punish some offenders, then most of all that of the supreme and most absolute Ruler and Lord of all, whose rights are natural, and depend not on our consent, or any contract with us, no more than our consent was previous to our coming into being, or our becoming his creatures; and whose justice must be more concerned to protect and vindicate his rights, than that of any earthly governor can be to preserve the rights of even the most considerable community: no community, nor all taken together, nor even the whole creation, being of any comparable value with the interest of the supreme and universal Ruler, himself alone; in respect of whom all nations are as the "drop of the bucket," &c. especially if we add, (though that be but of secondary consideration,) that the rights of the greatest, even the universal community of all mankind, are involved with his own, and that their common peace and order are to be preserved by punishments, even eternal ones, not as executed, but as threatened; which, as hath been said, made the execution necessary, where the terms and method of remission are not complied with.

And whereas it is reckoned difficult to assign the creditor pane, the reason of that is not difficult to be assigned, if we consider what the true notion of a creditor is. And

it is not taken passively, for him who is intrusted with ano- the distance between created being and uncreated, that ther's rights, at least is not so to be limited; inasmuch as the former is as nothing to the latter; and therefore, bring a man may be more properly creditor of what is his own the honour and majesty of the Deity to any thing less than than of what is another's; but actively, for one who trusts an equal value, and you bring it to nothing. And this another. But the debitor pæne is not intrusted with any had been quite to lose the design of insisting upon a rething, but is only to be punished when he can be met with, compense; it had been to make the majesty of Heaven and duly brought thereto; and therefore is not bound to cheap, and depreciate the dignity of the divine govern, offer himself to punishment, as another debtor is to pay ment, instead of rendering it august and great. Therefore what he owes; who is to be active in the solution; the de- the whole constitution of Emmanuel, his undertaking, perlinquent, passive only: whence dare panas is rightly in-formances, and acquisitions, appear to have been not only terpreted to suffer punishment. And that this is all he is apt, suitable, 'and sufficient to the intended purposes, obliged to, is plain, if we consider that it is not the precept (which was first proposed to be shown,) but also requisite of the law that in this case obliges him, which only obliges and necessary thereto. to the doing of duty, but the annexed commination, which can only oblige to undergo punishment.

CHAPTER VIII.

III. And for the evincing hereof, let us apply our minds to meditate silently and intently awhile on those words of Creditor indeed is chosen as a fit word to express the our Lord, (John x. 17.) "Therefore doth my Father love correlative unto debitor pæna; but by it we are to under-me, because I lay down my life:" and let us consider stand no more than only the object of this solution: so in them with that reverence which we cannot but conceive human governments, the governor is improperly, viz. as due to words we esteem most sacred and divine; i. e. that he is intrusted with the rights of the community. But in they could not be rashly or lightly spoken: whereupon, let the divine government, God himself, originally and radi- us bethink ourselves, Have those words a meaning? This, cally, as he is Maker and Lord of all; immediately and our awful regard to the venerable greatness of Him that formally, as he is the supreme Ruler, and such a one there- spoke them, cannot suffer us to doubt. And if they mean fore as governs principally, suo jure, and for himself, not any thing, it is impossible they should not mean somefor others. For he cannot but be his own supreme end; what most profound and great; somewhat that implies a that he also doth undertake the care of the concernments reference to a peculiar Ocompenès, i. e. a divine decorum, that and good of others, is of mere vouchsafement and conde- as an eternal law perpetually conducts all the propenscension, not from any antecedent obligation so to do. sions and determinations of God's most perfect will, that The sum of all therefore is, that whether we take Divine could by no means suffer any violation: what was most justice in the larger sense, as it comprehends all the moral becoming of God; viz. what might best "become him, excellences that relate to the government of God over man, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things;" especially his wisdom and his holiness, or whether we (Heb. ii. 10.) worthy of the great, all-comprehending, take it in a stricter sense, for a principle inclining him to central, original Being, from whence all things sprang, maintain and vindicate the rights and dignity of his go- and wherein all terminate. Here is some gradual retection vernment, it did direct as well his making a constitution (if we consider what immediately follows," in bringing for the punishing of affronts and offences committed many sons to glory," &c.) of the veiled arcana of the Diagainst it, as to proceed according to it, so as not to remit vine Being: if we may, on so fit occasion, allude to the insuch injuries to the offender without most sufficient re- scription in the Egyptian temple, elsewhere mentioned in compense. this discourse-"I am all that was, and is, and shall be, and who is he that shall draw aside my veil?" Here is, in some part, a withdrawing of that sacred veil, by Him to whom by prerogative it belonged, and of whom it is said, "No man hath seen God at any time, but the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him," John i. 18. Here is some disclosure of the mystery of God, of the Father, (Col. ii. 2.) in whom the Divine nature was primarily, and as in that first fountain; and of Christ, the mystery of the Mediator, of whom Christ was the distinguishing name. The agreement, hitherto inconceivable and most mysterious, of the absolute purity and perfection of the Divine nature, with the admirable mercifulness of the constitution of Emmanuel, of God and man united in one, in order to the reconciliation of the holy, blessed God, with unholy, miserable man. How was it to be brought about, in a way becoming him for whom and by whom all things were, so great, so august a Majesty! that He should admit that so despicable and rebellious a race should not only be saved, but be made sons? This could never be, though his immense and boundless love most strongly inclined him to it, but by their having one of highest dignity, his own Son, set as a Prince or Prefect over the whole affair of their salvation; nor by him but upon his own intervening suffering! This was according to fixed rule indispensably necessary; i. e. by the inviolable maxims of the Divine government. But because, through the inconceivable riches of his own goodness, this was a thing he was most propense unto, and intent upon; yet because the death of his own Son in their stead could neither be meritorious nor just, without his own free consent, therefore, says our Lord, doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life-What conceivable reason can there be of this connexion, (" He therefore loves me, because I lay down my life,") without the concurrence of these two things to be considered conjunctly? A most intense, vehement love to a perishing world. An inflexible regard to the eternal, immutable measures of right and wrong, fit and unfit, decent and indecent, that had their fixed, everlasting seat in the mind of God.

The first head thus far insisted on, that a sufficient recompense was necessary: the second succeeds, that no less was sufficient than that made by Emmanuel. Dishonour to have insisted on less. What the divine estimate in this matter was, his own word shows. His love to offenders otherwise under restraint. Proposed to consideration, 1. How great things were to be remitted, the sins of all times, and ages. Not from insufficiency unapplicable to all sinners. Remission to be granted, by a universal law. 2. How great to be vouchsafed. Which follows.

I. 2. AND SO much being clear, there is less need to insist copiously in showing what comes next to be considered; that no recompense could be sufficient for expiating the wrong done by the violation of God's temple among men, and the laying its foundations anew, besides that which hath been made by the Son of God, Emmanuel, God with us: becoming himself first an original Temple, a Man, inhabited with all the fulness of God, and then made also a Sacrifice to the offended majesty and justice of Heaven, for those great and high purposes, the expiating the indignity of violating God's former temple, and the raising, forming, and beautifying it anew, in conformity to its present pattern and original; and then possessing, inhabiting, and restoring the Divine presence in it.

II. For as it hath been shown already, that this recompense could not but be full, and apt to answer these purposes; so it is in itself evident, that whatsoever should be tendered in the name of a recompence, ought to be full, and proportionable to the wrong done, and to the favours afterwards to be shown to the transgressors.

For it were manifestly more honourable and worthy of God not to have exacted any recompense at all, than to have accepted, in the name of a sacrifice, such as were unproportionable, and beneath the value of what was to be remitted and conferred. What had been lower must have been infinitely lower; let any thing be supposed less than God, and it falls immensely short of him. Such is

a Which is the second head proposed to be discoursed, ch. vi. s. 2.

IV. The former made the end necessary, the preventing | take it again, as v. 18. "I have power to lay it down, the total, eternal ruin of a lost world; the latter made the Son of God's death, and his own consent thereto, the necessary means to this end. The former, viz. the end, was not otherwise necessary than upon supposition; it was not so absolutely necessary, that by any means, right or wrong, fit or unfit, such a ruin (even most deserved) must be prevented. But it was so far necessary, as that if, by any rightful and decorous means, this ruin could be prevented as to many, and a contrary blessed state of perpetual life be attained by them, this must be effected and brought about for them. Not, 'tis true, for all offenders, but as many as the like eternal, indispensable means and measures of equal and unequal, fit and unfit, capable and incapable, should not exclude.

and I have power to take it again. q. d. This is a matter agreed, I am not to lie under a perpetual death; that could neither be grateful to my Father, nor is in itself possible. But as things are stated, I am prepared to endure the cross, and despise the shame, for the joy set before me; which joy will be everlastingly common to him and me, and to the whole redeemed community, according to their measure." But was all this unnecessary trifling? What serious man's reverence of Deity can let him endure to harbour so profane a thought? Therefore take we now the entire state of this matter, as it lies plainly in view before us, in these texts of Scripture. 1. Here is an unexpressible love of God to undone, lost sinners. 2. Here is a plain intimation that this love must have been under a All this we have in that most admirable text of Scrip- suspension and a restraint, if God's own Son had not laid ture, (John iii. 16.) "God so loved the world, that he gave down his life for them. 3. It is as plainly signified, that his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him the Son of God's laying down his life for them, was, in should not perish, but have everlasting life." So loved! divine estimate, a sufficient expedient to prevent this reThe matter is signified in such a way, as to leave all menstraint upon his love to sinners. 4. That this expedient amazed! and by their astonishment to supply their most was reckoned by the blessed God more eligible, than that defective conception of so stupendous a love. The world his love to sinners should be under perpetual, everlasting is an indefinite term, that contains the special and the restraint. 5. That it was only reckoned more eligible, as afterwards specified object of this love; not a single per- there was a conjunct consideration had of his laying it son, but a whole race of intelligent creatures, a world down, with a power and design of resuming and taking it inhabited by such, that were not to be left, and finally all again. 6. That therefore, as the eternal God had a most swallowed up together in one common ruin; that upon constant, unquestionable love to his only-begotten Son, this account he gave his only-begotten Son to death, as his love to him hath a peculiar and most complacential the event and known design showed. And how incon- exercise, on the account of his concurring with him upon ceivable must his love be to his only-begotten Son! "The this expedient; choosing rather to endure all the dolours Brightness of his glory, the express Image of his person!" of that" one hour, and power of darkness," that was to always his delight! Yet rather than all this world should come upon him, than that a whole world of reasonable be lost for ever, He is thus given up! "That whosoever creatures, his own offspring, and bearing his own image, believe on him, should not perish," &c. which expresses should all perish together everlastingly. But who now the certain, specified, declared object of this love: leaving sees not that this was the determinate judgment of the them certainly excluded, who, after sufficient proposal, re- great God, viz. that his gracious designs towards guilty fuse their homage to the throne of Emmanuel; choose creatures were not otherwise to be effected, than in this rather their forlorn souls should be for ever forsaken of way? And yet, for the further clearing of this matter, the Divine presence, than unite with him, and surrender taking Heb. x. 4. that the blood of the Lord Christ, and themselves to him, by whom alone they might be refitted, of bulls and goats, are put in direct opposition to each animated again, and inhabited as his living temples. Their other; and hereupon, that it is said of the latter, "It is exclusion is necessary, by such measures as those, by not possible it should take away sin;" what can that imply which such means were necessary to the salvation and less, than that the former was necessary to the taking it blessedness of the others. But who can doubt hereupon, away? Let us but appeal to ourselves, what else can it but that this course was indispensably necessary to this mean? Will we say, though sin could not be taken away end? Especially if (reviewing that first-mentioned text) by the blood of bulls and goats, it might by some nobler we consider, that our Lord represents his laying down his sacrifice of an intermediate value? But is not this manilife as an unexpressible additional endearment of him to festly precluded, and barred by the immediateness of the the Father: q. d. "O thou Son of my delights, thou hast opposition? These two only are in competition, and it is now set my love to lost souls at liberty, that hath been said, not this, but that. Other sacrifices God would not; ever pregnant with great and godlike designs towards them, (Psal. xl. 6, 7.) then, saith our Lord, "Lo! I come." and that must otherwise have been under perpetual re- These are rejected, this is chosen; he taketh away the straint:" which is most evidently implied. first, that he may establish the second, Heb. x. 9. When it is said, (Mic. vi. 6, 7.) not thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil; if one should say, Yea, but eleven thousand might serve; were not this trifling, not reasoning? Is it not plain all other were refusable, for the same reason?

V. But it may be said, Could the love of God be under restraint? And I say no, it could not; therefore, to the all-comprehending Mind, where ends and means lie connected together under one permanent, eternal view, this course presented itself, as peculiarly accommodate to this end; and was therefore eternally determined by easy concert between the Father and the Son, not to remedy, but prevent any such restraint. Yet it may be further urged, Cannot the absoluteness and omnipotency of a God enable him to satisfy his own propensions, if it were to save never so many thousand worlds of offending creatures, without taking such a circuit as this? It was once said to a human mortal king, that had about him but a thin shadow of sovereignty, Dost thou now govern Israel, and not make thy will any way take place? Much more might it here be said, Dost thou govern the world? Art thou not God? Yes! and may freely say, I can the less, for that I am God, do what is not Godlike; i. e. can therefore the less break through established, eternal measures, and counteract myself. I must do as becomes Him, for whom and by whom are all things. Others may assume to themselves an imagined, unhallowed liberty of pursuing, at the next, their own inclinations; but it is beneath divine greatness to do so. Yet in this case (it may be further said) why did not love to his Son preponderate? Which our Lord himself in great part obviates by what is subjoined-"because I lay down my life." How? With a power and design to

I shall now somewhat enlarge (as was formerly designed) upon the two things already intimated under the foregoing head of Emmanuel's sufficiency, &c. as having acquired the two-fold power of forgiving sin, and giving the Spirit. And shall now show, further, the necessity of his engaging in this affair (the restoring of God's temple) with reference to both these things, requisite thereto.

And to this purpose, let it be considered-What was to be remitted, and what was to be conferred, by the procurement.

1. What was to be remitted. It was not the single trespass of one or a few delinquent persons, but the revolt and rebellion of a vast community; a universal hostility and enmity, continued and propagated through many successive agents, that was now, once for all, to be atoned for. It is hereupon to be considered-How great the offence was that must be remitted. The way and manner in which the grant was to be made of this remission.

1. How great was the offence to be remitted! A whole race and order of creatures had been in a conspiracy against their rightful Lord, to deface his temple, tear down his image, invade his rights, withhold and incapacitate them

giance to the celestial crown and throne. They therefore, from a self-contracted malignity, rebelled with open eyes; and though an obligation by a common head were binding, theirs, by their own act and deed, must be more strongly binding, and their revolt more deeply and more heinously criminal.

selves for his worship, substitute, instead of that, highest | son as it were plighting his faith, and wɔwing his allecontempt, banish his presence, and as much as in them lay raze out his memorial, that he might be no more known, feared, or served upon earth! How horrid a prospect had the Lord from heaven, when, from the throne of his glory there, he beheld the state of things below! (Ps. xiv. 2, 3.) "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if any did understand, and seek after God; they are all gone back, none that does good, no not one." All were become such mischievous, wicked fools, as to say, with one consent, in their hearts, No God! And though, it is true, this wickedness was not in event to be actually remitted to all, the case was to be so stated, that remission might be universally offered; and that it be left to lie upon men's own score if it were not accepted; and therefore, that a sacrifice must be offered up, of no less value than if every single transgressor was to have his actual, sealed pardon.

VI. For let it be considered what sort of transgressors are excluded the benefit of remission, on the account of that great Sacrifice that once for all was offered up; and we find it not difficult to apprehend other most important reasons why they are excluded; but no colour of a reason that it should be for want of sufficient value in this Sacrifice.

1. As for the angels that fell, though their case comes not directly under our present consideration, yet occasionally, and as (à fortiori) we may argue from it, some thoughts may usefully be employed about it. The Divine pleasure herein is indeed intimated, in the Son of God's not taking their nature, but ours; and his known measure of showing mercy is, that he will show mercy, because he will show mercy. Yet, whereas we find that the most sovereign act of grace, the predestinating of some to the adoption of children, is ascribed to the good pleasure, (Eph. i. 5.) the same act is ascribed also to the counsel of his will, v. 11. And when we see the apostle in that holy transport, (Rom. xi. 33.) crying out, in contemplation of distinguishing mercy, & ßábos-O the depth! he doth not say of the sovereign power, but of the wisdom and knowledge of God; and admires the unsearchableness, not of his arbitrary determinations, but of his judgments and ways, or judicial proceedings towards them that believed, or believed not: (Ps. xxx. 31, 32.) implying he had reasons to himself, though past our finding out, of his different proceedings towards some, and others. And as for the angels that fell, and whom he thought fit not to spare, (2 Pet. ii. 4, 5. Jude 6.) he threw them into chains of darkness, resolving to deal with them, not upon terms of absolute sovereignty, but of justice, therefore reserving them to the judgment of the great day; not in the meantime affording them a second trial, in order to their recovery, as he hath to us, even of mere mercy; for no justice could oblige him to offer us new terms. Yet their case and ours so differed, that there are reasons obvious to view, and which must lie open to all, in the public, final judgment, why he might judge it fitter to design the objects of mercy among men, than the apostate angels. As,

1. That we must suppose them (viz. the angels) created, each of them, in perfect maturity, unto which we (our first parents excepted) grow up gradually and by slow degrees. They had their intellectual ability fit for present exercise, when they first existed, and did all then at once co-exist; (as we generally reckon, having nothing to induce us to think otherwise ;) we come into being successively, and exist here but in a succession.

2. Whereas they therefore must be understood to have been originally under a sort of covenant of works, (as we were,) or were some way or other made to understand what, by the law of their creation, was their duty towards the Author of their beings, and what their expectations might be from him; we have no reason therefore to apprehend that they were treated with, in one common head of their own order, in whom they should stand or fall, as we were; our case not admitting it to be otherwise, because we were not co-existent with him. But we must conceive them to have been, every individual of them, personal Covenanters, each one in his own person receiving the signification of their Maker's will; and if there were reason or need of solemn restipulation, each one in his own per

3. The posterity of our apostate first parents have but a limited time, in this state of probation, wherein to understand the present altered state of things between them and their offended Lord: within which time, though he foresaw the malignity of very many would never be overcome by his goodness, in the ordinary methods wherein he reckoned it became him to discover and exercise it towards them, yet according to the course and law of nature he had now settled for this apostate sinful world, their course would soon be run out, and they would not have opportunity long to continue their rebellion, and obstruct his interest and designs on earth. And also, having all things ever present to his all-comprehending view, he foreknew and foredetermined that great numbers should become the captives of his grace, and that the love and blood of an Emmanuel should not be lost and thrown away upon them. He should make them "willing in the day of his power" to fall in with gracious intendments, and their Redeemer should see his seed, and the travail of his soul, and be satisfied therein: whereas he beheld the apostate spirits of that higher order fixed in enmity, not vincible by any ordinary methods. Nor was it to be expected he should exert (in this case) his absolute power, and act ad ultimum, as a natural agent doth, to its very uttermost. (Had he thought fit, he could as well have prevented their revolt.) Or that he should have appointed a Redeemer for their recovery, who were irrecoverable: their case at first being (probably) very parallel to theirs among men, who sin "that sin against the Holy Ghost." And as things lay in divine prospect, their malicious opposition to God's designs in this world was not bounded within the narrow limits of a short human life, their natures not being subject to a law of mortality, as it is with every sinner among men; but they were beheld as continually filling this world with mischiefs, with wickednesses and miserics, and counterworking all God's glorious and merciful designs in it; even every one of them, from his first apostacy, as long as the world shall last.

4. Man sinned at first, being seduced, tempted, and deceived by the devil. The devils, as being their own tempters, sin had in and from them its original and first rise in the creation of God. In all agency, whether of good or evil, much is wont to be attributed to this, Who was first in it? In point of good, the blessed God hath no competitor; he is the undoubted first Fountain of all good, and is therefore acknowledged the supreme Good. In point of evil, (viz. moral,) there is none prior to the devil, who is therefore eminently called the evil, or wicked one. And as the devils were first in sin, so they led us into it, by deceiving us; the malignity of it was therefore the greater on their parts, and proportionably the less on ours. The more knowing are the more deeply guilty, the deceiver than the deceived, and deserve the more stripes. 'Tis true that none can deserve mercy, for then it were justice, and not mercy; but though none can deserve to have mercy shown them, they may deserve not to have it. The more a ruler is above us, and the less he needs us, the less possible it is for us to oblige him, and the more possible to disoblige and offend him, and the more heinous will the offence be therefore, though none can claim mercy, they may forfeit it; and will, by the deeper guilt, incur such a forfeiture, by how much the more and clearer the light and knowledge is against which they offend. And this we find to have been a measure with the blessed God, in the exercise of his mercy, even in some of the highest instances hereof that we meet with in holy Scripture; “I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief," 1 Tim. i. Not that this could specify a more deserving object of mercy; for where there can be no desert at all, there can be no more, or less.

VII. But it represents the occasion and season of showing mercy more fitly, in the estimate of the Divine wisdom, which conducts the acts of sovereignty; and judges of