7

weary him, that will not do it; if I think to do nothing for him, nor bring him no glory, that will not do, for he will come some time or other and say, (Isaiah xliii. 24, 25,) Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money; neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices; but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities. I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Here

king's bad state of health, and emaciated constitution, he could not, humanly speaking, live much longer; but still, the event shewed that God had immutably determined that he should live fifteen years more, and in order to that had put it into his heart to pray for the blessing decreed. Just as in the case of Niniveh, lately mentioned, God had resolved not to overthrow that city then, and in order to the accomplishment of his own purpose, in a way worthy of himself, made the ministry of Jonah the means of leading that people to repentance. All which as it shews that God's absolute predestination does not set aside the use of means, so does it likewise prove, that however various the declarations of God may appear, (to. wit, when they proceed on a regard had to natural causes) his counsels and designs stand firm and immoveable, and can neither admit of altera

Here I see I cannot weary him out; if I say I will sin so often that he will alter his mind at last, he cannot alter, for that is his name and nature. Exod. xxxiv. 6, The Lord is merciful and gracious. So I cannot do it, therefore I will never try, but cry out, grace, grace.

The doctrine is this, that Jesus Christ hath reconciled God and man in his own person, and by his own person; first in him this reconciliation was made, 2 Cor. v. 18. Paul is here shew

ing

tions in themselves, nor of hinderances in their execution.

God is in the most unlimited and absolute sense of the word, Almighty. Jer. xxxiii. 17, Behold thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. Matt. xix. 26, With God all things are possible, &c.

Hence it follows, that since all things are subject to the divine control, God not only works efficaciously on his elect, in order that they may will and do that which is well pleasing in his sight, but does likewise frequently and powerfully suffer the wicked to fill up the measure of their iniquities, by committing fresh sins. Nay, he sometimes for wise and gracious ends, permits his own people to transgress, for he has the hearts and wills of men in his hands, and inclines them to

good,

ing that the mystery of reconciliation was given him: v. 19, he comes to shew what this mystery was, To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them,-wherein three things are considerable.

First. (8) The person reconciling this world.

good, and delivers them up to evil as he sees fit, yet without being the author of sin. Toplady's Observations on the Divine Attributes

Seeing then that infinite wisdom, infinite goodness, and infinite power reside in God, he possesses energy equal to the execution of his. designs,-goodness to impel the exertions of his power, and wisdom to guide and direct its operations in the best possible channel. The contemplation of infinite power in itself, necessarily implies the possibility of every thing, and therefor its effects indefinite; but when this power is regulated by a design established into a covenant, this divine power can produce (owing to that compact) nothing different to what it does produce; believers recollect that God, even your God, is under a divine and a covenanted necessity to perform all he hath promised, in order to constitute you happy.

(g) A perfect estimate can never be formed of the preciousness of revealed truth; we imperfectly discover some of its divine peculiarities by

the

Secondly. The person in whom this reconciliation is made, which is Christ.

Thirdly. The manner how this reconciliation is made, not imputing their trespasses and sins unto them.

First. I observe, that it is God that has reconciled the world unto himself, therefore no conditions left them, for there the Apostle shews that God has perfected the reconciliation, for he has not reconciled the world unto himself only, but

himself

the removal of that ignorance in which the human mind is naturally enveloped; this ignorance is the miserable lot of all the offspring of fallen man, and its nature is awfully malignant; in consequence of its influence the mind forms very unworthy, very dishonorable views of God, and is thereby prepared for the perpetration of every crime. It is true that all men have vague, indeterminate ideas of a first cause, for notwithstanding the native impenetrability of the mind, the works of God, by a divine, an irrisistible impetus enforce such a sentiment. Yet, nature has never taught them (being like the law, weak through the flesh) to honor him as God, but "they all became yain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts deceived them." We find, indeed, that no outward display of divine power, no instances of divine goodness, no external display of the divine

nature,

4

himself to the world also; had he left this world its part, though never so little, he had not reconciled this world; besides, he could never have reconciled himself, except he had reconciled this world, for how could he be reconciled if he had left this world something to do? for the want of which he might justly come upon it, and execute his wrath upon it; from whence I argue, that if God has reconciled the world, God is reconciled to this world, but the former is true.

Ergo.

nature, however glorious, no not even the letterdispensation of the gospel has ever removed that darkness; it is true the light shined in darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not. "Enmity against God," is the necessary attribute of a fallen, a benighted mind. "This is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and that men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil;" in consequence of the above undefined idea that men naturally formed of God,-all according to their different views, offered him that kind of worship which they thought would please him best.

From the frequent recurrency of those devotional exercises, an inconveniency arose from the interruption of their daily employ; they naturally looked out from among (believing that they and they only were right) themselves, for men to act

officially