shocking affair. But Moses sang, The LORD hath triumphed GLORIOUSLY; and was exceedingly rejoiced to see that he had thus shown his power, and laid a foundation to have his name declared throughout all the earth.

And thus will it appear to all the inhabitants of heaven, when satan and all his adherents lie overwhelmed in the lake of fire and brimstone. And, therefore, the heavenly hosts are represented in scripture as singing the song of Moses; triumphing in the destruction of satan and his adherents, as Moses did in the destruction of Pharaoh and his army! (Rev. xv. 3.) And, as repeating their HALLELUJAHS, exulting and rejoicing while they see "the smoke of their torment ascending for ever and ever!" (Rev. xix. 1. 6.)

Nor need it seem strange that the inhabitants of heaven, who have so great a respect to God, and are such hearty friends to his interest and to the honour of his government, should so entirely acquiesce in the righteous punishment of his inveterate, obstinate enemies. If vindictive wrath were nothing but groundless, arbitrary vengeance, it would be quite another thing; but as it is, (in the governor of the world,) nothing but love to God, to virtue, to the best good of the system, bearing down, in a wise and righteous manner, the enemies of God, of virtue, and of the system, it cannot but appear infinitely amiable in the eyes of the inhabitants of heaven*. It is much more strange that any who heartily acquiesce in the gospel-way of salvation, should be stumbled at the final punishment of the wicked. It must be strange partiality in us, indeed, to acquiesce in the death of God's own Son, when standing in the room of sinners, and yet to object against the punishment of sinners themselves. It argues, either that we are very selfish, or else that we love the Son of God less than we do God's obstinate enemies, to be content

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Vindictive justice, if I mistake not, arises wholly from love, and is always under the direction of infinite wisdom. And if so, it is an amiable perfection in the Deity. Love is the sum of the moral law, which is a transcript of the moral perfections of God; therefore, love is the sum of God's moral perfections. Love to God, to virtue, and to the system, will naturally induce the governor of the world to punish those who are obstinate enemies to God, to virtue, and to the system, according to their deserts.

that he should bear the curse of the law, but loath that they should. The same views which cause the saints in heaven to acquiesce in God's setting forth his own Son to be a propitiation for sin, to secure the honour of the divine justice, at the same time lead them cordially to approve of the eternal damnation of obstinate sinners themselves.

Besides, to use the Apostle's own words, who was inspired by him who has a perfect view of all things, and knows what is best in so important a case. (Romans ix. 22.) “What if God, willing to show his wrath, and make his power known, endured, with much long-suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction?" What if God, who doubtless is the fittest judge, and to whom alone the decision of this affair belonged; what if God thought it best to single out some of his apostate creatures; some of his obstinate enemies, who inveterately hate him and his government, and, Pharaoh-like, bid him defiance: I say, what if God thought it best to single out some of these to be examples of his wrath; to be visible monuments of his justice and power, that the whole system might eternally see how infinitely he hates sin, and how easily he can subdue his enemies, and what a fearful thing it is to rise in rebellion against him; (Verse 23.) " and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had a-fore prepared unto glory;" that, by the means, he might set the infinite freeness and greatness of his grace, exercised towards the saved, in the most conspicuous point of light, who, in their destruction, will eternally see what they deserved, and must certainly have endured, but for the dying love of Christ, and sovereign grace of God? What if infinite wisdom has judged this the best plan? Who is there among all finite intelligences that has right or reason to object?

Obj. "But if this plan was really the best, why do not mankind now prefer it above all others, and heartily rejoice in it? Why so much murmuring around the world ?”

Ans. It was but about an hundred miles from Egypt to Canaan, and, in forty days, conducted by ALMIGHTINESS, the Israelites might have marched from Egypt thither; and the Canaanites being all struck dead in one night, as an hundred

and eighty-five thousand once were in the Assyrian camp, (2 Kings xix. 35.) the Israelites might have taken immediate possession, and spent their days in feasting and joy. And had they been offered their choice, no doubt they would have preferred this scheme before their forty years' march in the wilderness; where the Lord led them through a land of deserts and of pits; through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death; through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt; and suffered them to hunger and to thirst, and for their murmurings under their trials, struck them dead by hundreds and thousands; for they generally cared only for their own present carnal interest, ease, and comfort. They had no relish to those things which God's heart was chiefly set upon; did not want to see God exalted; his authority established, or to be trained up to a life of entire dependence on God; to have their hearts humbled and broken, and be made to know that not for their righteousness were they brought into that good land; nor did they care any thing about that instruction which succeeding generations might obtain from their trials, and from God's conduct towards them those 40 years in the wilderness. And had Moses been able to open to their view the great and glorious ends which were likely to be answered, they would soon have replied," And what good will it do us if all the earth is filled with his glory, and if all these ends are accomplished, and if it will be better for the nation in the long run? What good will all this do us, so long as our carcasses fall here in the wilderness? It had been better for us to have lived and died in Egypt. Yea, we had rather never been born, than to undergo what we undergo, and die here at last." Nor had it been in the power of Moses to have stopped their mouths, unless he could have changed their hearts. Yea, notwithstanding all that God himself said to them, they continued murmuring in their tents, till he was obliged to execute terrible vengeance upon them. Fourteen thousand and seven hundred were struck dead at one time. (Numbers xvi. 49.) "Now all these things happened to them for our ensamples, and they are written for our admonition." (1 Cor. x. 11.) It were better, therefore, if mankind would leave murmuring at God's ways, which are undoubted

ly all wise, whether any mortal in this present dark and imperfect state is able to show the wisdom of them or not. If all that has been said appears to have no weight, and we give up God's plan as being at present absolutely inexplicable, yet, from the infinite wisdom of the Deity, it is capable of strict demonstration, that of all possible plans he has chose the best; therefore, the fault is not in him but in us. That there were none to be blamed, in the case of the Israelites, but themselves, we now can plainly see; so will it appear at the day of judgment, that God always did right, and acted wisely; and then every mouth will be stopped. And since we are certain this will finally be the case, it infinitely better becomes us to cease our murmurings, and learn to justify God, and take all the blame to ourselves; and as we are invited, so without delay to cast away the weapons of our rebellion, return and submit to our rightful sovereign, through Jesus Christ, now while mercy is offered to us.

But if any haughty sinner, Pharaoh-like, says, "Who is the Lord? I know not the Lord, nor care for his authority or government, nor will I humble myself before him;" let such a haughty wretch know that the ALMIGHTY is above him, and can accomplish all his schemes without his consent; for having endured, with all proper long-suffering, such impudent sinners, he can show his wrath and make his power known in their eternal destruction, to the honour of his name, and to the eternal instruction of the saved.

As for those who leave the honour of God, the infinitely great and glorious God, the author, proprietor, and king of the whole system, absolutely out of the account, as a thing of no importance, and what the governor of the world is not at all concerned about, and imagine that the good of God's creatures and subjects is the only thing to be attended unto, in all the divine conduct, as moral governor of the world; as for such, I say, it is impossible to reconcile any part of God's plan to their fundamental maxim; for if nothing was of importance but the creature's good, why was not that solely attended to? Why were all put on trial? And why eternal destruction threatened for the first offence? Or ever threatened at all? Or the sinning angels expelled the heavenly world, and the human race all doomed to death for the first

transgression? And if our good is all that God now has in view, why have not more pains been taken for our ecovery, from age to age, from the beginning of the world? Yea, why are not infinite wisdom and almighty power effectually exerted to render all eternally happy? For the saved, if this principle is true, will be eternally grieved to see any of their felllowcreatures for ever in hell-torments. Nor can the eternal torments of the damned answer any valuable end, on this hypothesis.

Strange are the positions which the Chevalier RAMSEY has laid down, in order to reconcile the divine conduct to this notion. He maintains that " God did not certainly know that his creatures would fall; and if he had known it, he could not have hindered it consistently with their free agency. He has been trying ever since to reclaim them; intends to continue in the use of means till he has reclaimed them all; the torments of hell being the most powerful means of grace, are finally to be used, with such as cannot otherwise be reclaimed, merely out of pure love to the damned, to purify and bring them to a better mind; so all at last shall be recovered and made for ever happy!" But if God meant to use the most powerful means with a fallen world he possibly could, and that in every age, as upon that hypothesis it must be supposed, why did he send but one NOAH to the old world? Why not two or three thousand? Why did he raise up but one MOSES, and but one ELIJAH, and send them only to the Israelites ?-Why did he not raise up thousands in every age and nation under heaven, and make thorough work? And why does he not take more pains with us of this age? Raise up thousands as well qualified to preach as St. Paul? And pour out his spirit on all flesh, as he did on the 3000, on the day of Pentecost? If our good was all he had in view, and he really intended to save us all, one would think he would now use the most powerful means to reclaim us, and not stay till the day of judgment, and then doom us to hell, in order to fit us for heaven! Besides, at that great day, a guilty world will find that Christ does not come to enter upon the use of further means to recover the wicked, but to give them their final doom. Christ will not come to save a guilty world,