originates in the malady Sin, and not in the divine decree; not because God hath purposed it shall be so, but, because Sin hath rendered it so, and so it remains, except where God's eternal purpose of grace makes the difference. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God."-ROM. viii, 7, 8.

And "What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endureth with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction ?"-ROM. ix, 22, 23.

What if God, willing to shew his wrath against Sin and sinners, had sunk the whole human race in everlasting darkness, as he sunk the sinning angels ? there would have been no injustice in the act,-" For all have sinned," and as such, all are under the divine sentence ; "The soul that sinneth it shall die." And the Lord could have executed the judgment written, and have remained eternally just. Hence, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not."-LAM. iii, 22. And " Except the Lord of hosts had left us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom."Is. i, 9.

SECTION IV.

"And they shall afflict them four hundred years.” -GEN, xv, 13.

Such as advocate a Sin-ordaining sovereignty, and insist that all the evils that befel the Israelites in Egypt, originated as the result and effect of divine ordination, bring forward, (as a proof for the doctrine,) the following passage. "And the Lord said unto Abram, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years: and also that nation whom they serve will I judge."-GEN. xv, 13, 14.

Here they lay the emphatic stress upon the words, "shall afflict them;" thereby charging that affliction upon God as the cause. But I rather take the words as signifying, that the Lord foreknew that they would afflict them, and that he would not prevent that affliction from taking place; not that he decreed the affliction. The oppression and affliction of Israel, was Egyptian work; and was unjust and abominably wicked in the sight of the Lord; and as such, called down the righteous judgments of God upon that nation. (See 1 CHRO. xvii, 9.) But the bringing of Israel into Egypt; the multiplying them into a mighty nation, under that affliction; the bringing them out of that affliction; and the judging Egypt for that affliction; was God's work. "And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge."

For if we say, that the command of Pharaoh, to destroy all the male children of the Hebrews, was of the Lord; how comes the Lord to favour the midwives for saving them alive, contrary to that command ? This appears to me to be a speaking evidence, that the affliction of Israel here, was Egyptian work; and they that opposed it, did God's pleasure, not they that imposed it. As it is written,—" But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive.— Therefore God dealt well with the midwives. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses."-Exo. i, 17, 20, 21.

In the old English version of the scriptures, the word SHALL is not connected with the affliction, but omitted, and reads without it as follows. "Then he said to Abram, know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger, in a land that is not theirs, four hundred ycars, and shall serve them: and they intreat them evil."-GEN, xv, 13. (English version printed 1599.) Mark, it does not say they shall intreat them evil.

The advocates for a Sin-ordaining sovereignty, lay special stress upon the word SHALL, in support of the doctrine—as, ye shall be hated of all men.""The brother shall betray the brother unto death, &c."-Thereby holding forth the idea, that the Lord had ordained that it should be so. But such shalls hold forth nothing more than that it will be so. As it is written," But all these things will they do unto you for my uame's sake, because they know not him that sent me."-JOHN XV, 21. Not because the Lord ordained it should be so. (See JER. xxvi, 10.)

That word of the Lord to Peter,-"Thou shalt deny me," has been held forth by some of these tall cedars, as though the word implied absolute and com. pulsive necessity from the purpose of God; or as though the Lord had said to Peter,-thou shalt Sin,-I will make thee Sin,-"Thou shalt deny me." This I consider to be doing violence to the law. "Ye have perverted the words of the living God."-JER. xxiii, 36.

SECTION V.

"He turned their heart to hate his people."-Ps. cv, 25.

The advocates of a Sin ordaining sovereignty, also hold forth this passage as a proof for their doctrine ; "He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants." -Ps. cv, 25.

Now this he did, not by influencing them to hate his people; but by blessing, by multiplying his people, and by making them stronger than the Egyptians; which excited their alarm; and stirred up their jealousy to envy. As it is written, "He increased his people greatly, and made them stronger than their enemies." By this, apparently to me, "He turned their heart to hate his people-"-Ps. cv, 24, 25. Egypt was grieved to see the prosperity of Israel; the Egyptians were alarmed for their national safety. Hence the king's address to his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we : come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, &c,"-See Exo. i, 9, 10, 11. Here the enemy

begins to exact upon Israel, the son of wickedness begins to afflict him. Here the bitter and

cruel bondage of Israel commences; "But the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel."-verse 14. Now, the Lord, by thus blessing his people turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate Israel. But was it unrighteous in the Lord thus to bless his people, though in thus blessing them he grieved and mortified the Egyptians? The Lord was here fulfilling his promise made to Jacob. I am the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt, for there I will make of thee a great nation !"-Gen. xliv, 3. The Lord did not say to Jacob, there I will afflict thee, there I will crush thee, there I will murder thy offspring-but, "There I will make of thee a great nation!" This then was God's work; but the afflicting, the crushing, and the murdering was Egyptian work, and this work called down the judgments of God. "And also that nation whom they serve

will I judge."

Hence it appears, that it was God's blessing upon his people, in multiplying them into a great nation, making them stronger than their enemies that turned their heart to hate his people, so that this hatred arose from Sin and not from God; for "he is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works."

God's blessing upon his people makes them to be hated of the world.-GEN. iii, 15. "I have given them thy word and the world hath hated them."—JOHN xvii, 14. "I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."-JOHN xv, 19.