that fuch a character as that of Pharaoh, was neceffary in order to the greatest good of the whole, it would not have had an existence.

We have another inftance of this kind, in the condemnation, fufferings, and death of the Lord of Glory. This is an inftance of fin, the most aggravated and criminal, doubtless, of any other that has ever taken place. And yet all this scene and fuffering was foreordained, and actually took place, by the wife counfel and decree of God, because it was absolutely necessary in order to accomplish the most benevolent purposes of Heaven, and produce the higheft good of the universe. In order to this, it was neceffary that Chrift fhould die on the crofs; but this could not be, unless he died by the hands of finful men. Had he not been thus put to death, there would have been no redemption of man, nor any of that remarkable, glorious difplay of the divine character, which is exhibited in this work. It was most certainly defirable, and of infinite importance, that all the fin fhould take place which was necessary in order to bring to pass this event, the suffering and death of Chrift, which though infinitely evil, in itself confidered, is of most happy and glorious confequence. All this fin and evil finks into nothing, when compared with the good, the glory that follows; and the whole appears to be an infinite good; the evil being covered, and vanishing, in the fplendour and glory occafioned by it, and with which it is connected. Better, infinitely better is it, that the Jews fhould commit that fin, and that Christ should thus suffer, than that the infinitely good and glorious confequences fhould not take place. And may it not with fafety and the greatest affurance be added, It is better that all the fin and mifery that ever has been, or will be, fhould take place, than that there fhould not be fuch a character as that of the Mediator; fuch works as he has done and will do; fuch manifeftations of the divine character, as he has made

and will make ; fuch happiness and glory; which will be the eternal confequence of redemption? But to return.

If the fin of putting the Son of God to death, was the occafion of the greatest good, which could not otherwise have taken place; and therefore God ordained that this fhould come to pafs, for the fake of the infinitely overbalancing good, and brought it about, confiftent with the freedom of man, and his own hatred of that fin, in itself confidered, and the total inexcufablenefs and infinite ill defert of thofe finners; then here is an inftance of the moft horrid wickedness, which is neceffary to promote and bring about the greatest good; and, in this view, very defirable, and of infinite importance that it fhould take place. And it may be hence fafely concluded, that every inftance of evil that ever has been, or will be, is as really neceffary to promote the greateft poffible good; and, in this view, a defirable event; and therefore determined by the infinitely wife counfel and decree of Heaven; however undefirable, odious or deteftable it may be, in itself confidered.

But that all the fins of men are overruled by God for good; and are appointed to take place for this end, may not only be inferred from the inftances mentioned, and from many others But it is exprefsly afferted in the following words of Sacred Writ, "Surely the wrath of man fall praife thee: The remainder of wrath fhalt thou reftrain. If by the wrath of man, here he meant the furious exertions of finhers in their oppofition to God and their neighbour, this comprehends all the fins of men, as they are all of the fame nature. It is here declared as a most certain truth, that these fins of men, however numerous, and though they rife ever fo high, fhall turn to the praife of God, and promote his declarative glory. God will fo overrule the fin of man, that he will get honour thereby: And that fin which would not answer this good and infinitely important end, he

will not fuffer to take place; but will effectually prevent it.—The following things are clearly contained in this paffage,

1. That God does fuperintend and direct with regard to every inftance of fin: He orders how much fin there fhall be, and effectually refrains and prevents all that which he would not have take place. refpect to this, abfolutely under his control.

Men are, with direction and

2. That all the fin which does take place, fhall anfwer the best and most important end; even that for which all things were made, the glory of God. Surely the wrath of man fhall praife thee?"

3. That therefore God wills and orders it to take place, that he may answer this end by it. If he effectually retrains and prevents that which will not praise him; it is certain that he could prevent all fin, if he pleased, and that he would do it, were it not neceffary to answer this end; and that he wills the existence of it, not for its own fake, but for the fake of the end to be answered by it; or the good of which it is the occafion.

4. From this it follows, that the fin of man is the means of a good which so far overbalances the evil of fin, and all the evil confequences of it, that it is defirable, on this account, that it fhould take place: Therefore there is more good in the univerfe, and this is a better world, than could possibly have exifted, had no evil come into it; and every inftance of fin and evil is conducive, and neceffary to the greateft poffible good of the whole.

5. All this is here afferted in the frongest terms as a moft certain and important, pleafing truth. The evidence and certainty of it are as clear and great, as of the existence of an almighty, wife and good Creator and Governor of the world. And it is a truth of the highest importance to be known, and believed with the greateft. affurance, as it is implied in the exercifes of true piety, cfpecially

K 3

especially in a joyful acquiefcence in the divine government; joy in the fupremacy and infinite felicity of God, and implicit cheerful truft in him: And as it is neceffary to the fupport and comfort of the friends of God, in all the darkness and evil in this world; and the only proper ground of their rejoicing that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; and that their God is in the heavens, and hath done whatsoever he pleased.

THUS it appears demonftrably certain, both from the being and perfections of God; and from divine revelation, that all the evil which takes place in God's world, and under the influence of his government, is necessary in order to the greateft poffible good; and is made the means of this; fo that in this view, it is defirable, and perfectly agreeable to infinite wisdom and goodness, that it fhould take place juft as it does. Therefore God, infinitely wife and good, has determined and decreed that evil fhould exift, as neceffary to the highest perfection, beauty, happiness and glory of the fyftem which was to be formed by his hand. Confequently, the evil which does actually take place, does not afford the leaft ground of objection against the doctrine of God's decrees, by which he has foreordained whatfoever comes to pass; but is perfectly reconcileable to this doctrine: And this truth is the great fupport, and ground of comfort to the truly pious mind, in the view of the abounding evil, with which this world has been fo long filled. God has foreordained all this, and all that ever will take place, for his own glory, and the greateft good of the univerfe: He fuperintends the whole, and brings good out of all this evil, infinitely greater good than could have been, without the evil. Therefore all is perfeally agreeable to the dictates of infinite wisdom and goodness.

It is certain that evil, both moral and natural, is, in itfelf, undefirable, and must be confidered as infinitely

contrary

contrary to divine holiness and goodness, viewed in this light only; and could not poffibly have place in a fyftem formed by God, and abfolutely under his direction and government, were it not neceffary in order to the greatest good of the whole, to make the fyftem in the highest degree perfect, happy and glorious: And, in this view and connection, the existence of evil is defirable, and must be introduced, if infinite wifdom and goodness dictate and govern. And all the children of wildom will approve and rejoice. And very unhappy are they who are dillatisfied with the works and ways of God in the moral or natural world; and think they have wildom enough to fee many things defective and wrong; and to have or dered matters better, had they been to contrive and direct them. This feems to be the fituation of thofe who make the objection under confideration; which, it is prefumed, will appear to all who well confider what has now been said in anfwer to it, to be altogether groundless and unreasonable.*

⚫ There have been many objections to what has been here afferted and proved, viz. That fin is necessary in order to the greatest good of the whole, and is the occafion of good in every inftance of it. It has been laid, that fuch a pofition, gives the greatest encouragement to fin; for the more fin there is, the better, the more good there will be-That fin, according to this, is really no crime-That this is therefore inconfiftent with its being forbidden ia the law of God, and the punishment of the finner, &c.--The diftinction which has been made between fin, confidered in itfelf, in its own nature and tendency; and as it is connected with the whole, and as overruled and ufed by God for the greatest good of the univerfe, is fufficient, it is fup. pofed, if well confidered, to show how groundlefs fuch objections are.

Ail a is infinitely odious, in its own nature, and has the most evil tendency, 35 it confifts in oppofition to God, and his glory, and to all good; God's law, therefore, which requires love to him, muft condemn and forbid fin, as infinitely wrong, and odious to him. The finner cannot take encouragement to fin, from the good of which God makes it the occafion; because this is no good to him, fo far as he is inclined to fin; and therefore cannot be a motive to fin: Because it is directly crofling to all inclination A fon who defires not his father's honour, but is of a difpofition to be gratified in his difgrace, could not be perfwaded to rebel against his father, from the confideration that his father would get honour by it: But if he be a friend to his father, and to his honour, he will not, from

to fin.