his will; but the former is true.

Gen. i. 26, And after our likeness, let them have dominion. Ergo: Again, there was this in Adam's disobedience; viz. an ambition to be God's, the very image of the Devil's, from whence come all wars and fightings, brawlings, and many evils; James iv. 1. This also was laid on Jesus Christ. How was Jesus Christ tempted about this? All these things will I give thee. For if Christ has suffered for the offence, and this was part of the

offence,

his precepts, the fault is not in him but in themselves; their unbelief and disobedience are not owing. to any ill infused into them by God, but to the vitiosity of their depraved nature, and the perverseness of their own wills. Now, if God invited all men to come to him, and shut the door of mercy against any who were desirous ofentering, his invitation would be a mockery, and unworthy of Himself: but we insist on it that he does not invite all men to come to him in a saving way, and that every individual person who is through his gracious influence on his heart, made willing to come to him, shall sooner or later be surely saved by him, and that with an everlasting salvation.

2d. Man is not excusable for neglecting God's will of command. Pharoah was faulty, and therefore justly punishable, for not obeying God's

revealed

offence, then Christ has suffered for this also; the former is true, also the lattter. Now if all sin was in this offence, and Christ suffered for that offence, then Christ had satisfied for all sing but the former is true, also the latter..

Ergo. Obj.. But some will say, Christ died for original sin only. I answer, he died for all sin if he died for that, for all sin was in that, as has been proved.-I propound these questions.

First. Whether all men are bound to believe

that

revealed will, though God's secret will rendered the obedience impossible. Abraham would have committed sin, had he refused to sacrifice Isaac, and in looking into God's secret will, would have acted counter to his revealed one. So Herod, Pontius Pilate, and the reprobate Jews, were justly condemned for putting Christ to death, in as much as it was a most notorious breach of God's revealed will: "thou shalt do no murder." Yet in slaying the Messiah, they did no more than God's hand and his counsel, i e. his secret ordaining will determined before should be done, Acts iv. 27, 28. And Judas: is justly punished for perfidiously and wickedly betraying Christ, though his perfidy and wickedness were (but not with his design) subservient to the accomplishment of the decree and word of Godara

The

that the offence of Adam is satisfied for by Jesus Christ?

Secondly. If Christ died only for original sin, without actual, what is the object of your faith in respect of your actual?

Finally. If Christ has not satisfied for all sin, he has not finished transgression, nor made an end of sin, Dan. ix. 24. But I will spend no more time about this; but I challenge the world to shew us that sin, that has not been satisfied for

pose.

by

The brief of the matter is this, secret things belong to God, and those that are revealed belong to us; therefore when we meet with a plain precept, we should simply endeavor to obey it, without tarrying to enquire into God's hidden purVenerable Bucer, after taking notice how God hardened Pharoah's heart, and making some observations on the Apostle's simile of a potter and his clay, adds, that though God at least has the same right over his creatures, and is at liberty to make them what he will, and direct them to the end that pleaseth himself; yet it by no means follows, that they do not act freely and spontaneously, or that the evil they commit is to be charged on God.

God's hidden will is peremptory and absolute, and therefore cannot be hindered from taking

effect.

by Jesus Christ, (the sin against the holy Ghost excepted.) Dan. ix. 24, He has finished the transgression, he has made an end of sin, he has made reconciliation for iniquity, he has brought in an everlasting righteousness. Col. i. 20, He has made peace through the blood of his cross; he has reconciled all things unto himself. Rom. iv. 25, He was raised again for our justification. Heb. ix. 26, He has put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. Eph. ii. 6, And hath raised

us

God's will is nothing else than God himself willing, consequently it is omnipotent and unfrustrable; hence we find it termed by AUSTIN and the schoolmen voluptas omnipotentissima; because, whatever God wills cannot fail of being effected. This made AUSTIN say, "Evil men do many things contrary to the revealed will of God, but so great in his wisdom, that he directs all things into those channels which he foreknew." And again, "No free will of the creature can resist the will of God, for man cannot so will or nill, as to obstruct the divine determination, or overcome the divine power." Once more, "It cannot be questioned, but God does all things and ever did, according to his own purpose: the human will cannot resist him, so as to make him do more or less than it is his pleasure to do,

us up together, set us down together in heavenly places. Rom. viii. 33, Neither men, nor angels, nor devils, nor law, nor conscience, can lay any thing (judicially) to their charge; it is God that justifieth, and all upon the account of Christ dying: Who shall condemn? It is Christ that died. So we see that Jesus Christ has had the offence, the punishment for sin, the punishment of sin, which is guilt, is all laid on him, and so has made reconciliation. So there is no act required of us

to

since he does what he pleases even with the wills of men."

Whatever comes to pass, comes to pass by virtue of this absolute, omnipotent will of God, which is the primary and supreme cause of all things, Rev. ix. II, Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Psalm cxv. 3, Our God is in the heavens, he hath done whatsoever he pleased. Dan. iv. 35, He doth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand and say unto him, what doest thou? Psalm cxxxv. 6, Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the seas and all deep places. Matt. x. 29, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall to the ground without your Father.