act consistency with their belief. therthey do not believe the decrees events. The frst believes that all things take place in a regular order, which is established by an immutable decree. He believes that this decree establishes a firm connection between the means and the end. And this belief prompts him to use means in order to attain the end; for he knows that if the means fail, the end will also fail. While the other man does not be lieve the doctrine of decrees at all. He does not believe that there is any established order of And consequently, he feels no inducement to use means; for he thinks every event is matter of chance, and that he is as likely to attain the end in one way as in another, without means, as with them. It is certain, whaterer may be pretended, that men never do use any means to attain an end, any farther than they suppose there is some established connection between the means and the end; that is, they never use means any farther than they believe in the doctrine of decrees. Some, indeed who wish to keep God ont of their sight, call this a law of nature; but that is only another name for the fixed decree of the Author of nature. And here we see the self-contradiction of those who say, if it is decreed they shall be saved, they shall be whether they use the means of salvation or not; or if it is decreed they shall be lost, they shall be, let them do what they will. Ei or they love sin & are determined to live in it. If they believed the means and the end were connected together by an immutable decree, and had a sincere desire to secure the salvation of their souls, they would be disposed to use the means of salvation with all diligence. They would expect that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Then he took them to another place, where a judge was seated upon his tribunal, and several prisoners were standing before him, who had been engaged in rebell-. ion against their lawful government; and on due trial had been convicted of their crimes, and were now about to receive their sentence. The judge spoke to them on the blessings of good government, and pointed out the enormity of their offence, in endeavoring to destroy it and introduce anarchy and confusion. He pointed out the wisdom and equity of the law, which doomed them to confinement for life in the public prison. He shewed how reasonable it was that those who had endeavored to sacrifice the interests of a whole community, to the gratification of their own wicked passions, should now have their own interests given up in order to secure those of the community. He pointed out, for the warning of others, the misery they had thus brought upon themselves; and in a most feeling manner, pronoun48 and it was right that their private interest should be given up in order to secure the interests of the community, which they had endeavored to destroy. eed upon them the sentence of good required their condemnation, the law. He then delivered them into the custody of the officers whose business it was to put the sentence in execution, charging them, at the same time, to inflict no more upon therm than the law In. Just so. The judge acted demanded. Then I saw, that all a perfectly disinterested part.the spectators were deeply moved He valued the happiness of the and with one voice acknowledged criminals according to its real the justice and humanity of the worth; but he valued the good of judge, and the propriety of the the community more, because it sentence which had been pronoun- is worth more. And so he gave up a less good to secure a greater good which was doing right. And the criminals themselves felt constrained to acknowledge both his justice and his goodness. This case then illustrates the conduct of our Lord the King, in the treatment of his incorrigible enemies. Pal. We do so. But what is the He does not pronounce the senexplanation? tence of the law upon them, and In. Did you notice the appear- doom them to perpetual confine ced. And even the prisoners themselves had nothing to say against it, but acknowledged both his justice and his goodness. Then said the Interpreter to the pilgrims, Take notice of these things, and settle them deeply in your minds. auce of the judge? Pil. We did. ment in his public prison, because he has any pleasure in their suf In. Did he appear hard, or cru-ferings. He is full of compassion el, or malignant? Pil. Not at all. He appeared compassionate and merciful, tho' strictly just. In. Did he seem to have any regard for the good of the criminals whom he condemned? Pil. He did seem to have the tenderest regard for them, and was much moved when he pronounced the sentence. In. If he had any regard for their good, why did he not acquit them? and of great mercy. "He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked." He values their happiness according to its real worth; but he values the public good more than the happiness of those individuals, because it is worth more.And so, to secure the public good be gives up the private good of those individuals, and dooms them to suffer the punishment which their crimes deserve. And Pil. He said that the public when he shall do this, in the pres ence of the whole assembled universe, they will all be convinced that he is just and good, in so doing. Even his enemies will have nothing to say against it; but every mouth will be stopped. Then he took them to another place, where he showed them a vast crowd of people, of a most wretched appearance, clothed in rags, and starving with hunger.Near them stood a large store house, abundantly furnished with provisions and clothing for them all. And several servants of the owner of the storehouse were em ployed in going round among the miserable crowd, and inviting them to come to the storehouse and receive a supply for all their wants "without money and with out price." But the pilgrims, beheld, that, when invited, they "all with one consent began to make excuse." So the servants returned and told their lord that they could not persuade any to come. Then their lord said, they deserve indeed to perish with hunger; but yet, I will not have all this provision made, and fail in my benevolent purposes. Go again, and invite them. So the servants went again, and repeated their invitations, and added many entreaties; but still without success till at length their lord sent an invisible agent who had power over the heart, with directions to go to certain individuals of his selection and make them "willing in the day of his power." So when he touched their hearts, they complied with the invitations addressed to them, and came to the store house, and received freely whatsoever they needed. But the rest still continued to refuse; and some of them treated the servants who invited them very ill, and loaded them with every kind of obloquy and reproach. Then said the Interpreter, have you considered these things? Why do these miserable creatures perish with hunger? Th. There appears to be enough in the storehouse for them all, so that those who perish, do not perish for want of provision made for them. In. No, they perish through their own fault. They will have no one to blame but themselves. Th. But will not the provision be wasted? Why was provision made for them all? Did not their lord knowthat none would acceptit but such as his invisible agent made willing? In. Yes; their lord knew it. But the provision will not be wasted. Their lord does nothing in vain. And if it answered no other purpose, it was necessary that provision should be made sutficient for the whole, in order that all might be sincerely invited to come; and that they might know that the offer was sincerely made, so that they might be fully convinced that they could blame no one but themselves. And besides, this provision is of a peculiar nature. 1 As the brazen serpent lost none of provision for them all, and offers its efficacy to cure the bitten Is raelites after any number had looked upon it, so this provision suffers no diminution by the number of those who partake of it, but always continues in the same abundance, after thousands and millions have been supplied. Just as much was necessary to be made for those who are supplied, and no more would have been necessary for the supply of all. Th. But will not some of them complain of their lord for not making all willing when he had the power to do it? In. They may complain, for they are very unreasonable creatures; and are seeking occasion to complain of their lord. But who will think they have reason to complain, when they have their own choice, and might come if they would? What reasonable man will ever complain of another for giving him that which he chooses for himself? Th. Please to explain this to us more fully. In. Those miserable objects which you saw are rebels against their rightful lord and sovereign, and by their own wicked and foolish conduct have brought themselves into their present wretched state. They are starving with hunger, and clothed in rags; and they must perish soon if they are not relieved. Their lord, as you see, in the greatness of his compassion, has made abundant it to them freely, on the easy condition of their accepting it as a free gift to the ill-deserving. But they will not accept it. They hate their lord and choose rather to perish, than to be indebted to him for any favour. Such are the rebels against our Lord the King. Such were we all by nature, being "children of wrath even as others." The Prince Immanuel has by his death, made, abundant provision for the whole world. And in consequence of this provision, his servants are sent forth to invite all to come. All might come if they would.But so great is the perverseness of their hearts, that they will not come to him that they might have life. And now, he might justly leave them all to perish in their sin and folly. But he has graciously determined that they shall not all perish. He has determined to leave some of them to perish, for the glory of his justice, and to make others the monuments of his grace. And he sends forth the Holy Comforter to change their hearts and make them willing. As soon as he touches their hearts, by his invisible, but Almighty agency, they become willing, and freely and voluntarily accept the offered mercy, while the rest perish in their sins, and receive according to the just demerit of their crimes. But you see, that though there is abundant provision of food and clothing in 4 the store house, it does no good to any till they come and receive it. They must come & accept it as a free gift. This is the condition which they must perform, or die. This shows the difference between the work of atonement and the work of redemption. The atonement consisted in making the provision. Redemption consists in making them partakers of that provision. The atonement is sufficient for all, but it is only applied to apart. The atonement has been styled a cover for sin. The garments laid up in the store house may be styled a cover for the nakedness of those wretched creatures; but they do not actually become a cover of their nakedness, till they put them on. Then he took them again to a prison, and looking into it, they saw a number of criminals who had been tried and found guilty of certain crimes. They were condemned already, and the wrath of their King abode upon them. And as they looked, they saw the King's officers come to the prison with a free and full pardon for a part of them, and a warrant for the execution of the sentence upon the rest. So a part of them were set at liberty, and the rest were led away to suffer the sentence of the law. crimes, so all his rebellious subjects are condemned already.But as the end of punishment, in every good government, is not the gratification of malignant feelings, but the promotion of the public good, and the sentence of the law is executed only where the public good requires it, and when the public good will admit of it mercy is exercised in the pardon of offenders; so our Lord the King will promote the honor of his name, and the highest interest of his holy kingdom, by extending pardoning mercy to some, and executing the penalty of his law upon others, exactly as the public. good requires. But, as you saw, that all these criminals were guilty & justly condemned, and their King, having determined to show mercy to a part of them, made his own selection of the objects of his mercy; so our Lord the King chooses out of those who are in the like condemnation whom he will have the objects of bis mercy, and whom he will make the monuments of his justice. Mercy is his own prerogative; and he has a right to bestow it when and where he pleases. And this sovereignty of his is an amiable and benevolent sovereignty; not be. ing exercised capriciously, but Then said the pilgrims, what according to the dictates of infimeans this? In. You see here an illustraion of the sovereignty of our Lord, the King. As these men were all justly condemned for their So nite wisdom and goodness. |