"be no more the Canaanite in the house of the "LORD of hofts."

SECTION VII.

On Divine Sovereignty;-in Creation;-in the Management of the Natural World-in the Time appropriated to the Worship of God;-in the, Permiffion of the Entrance of Sin-in the Frame of the Covenant of Works;-in God's Conduct towards Angels ;-in the Choice of Ifrael;-in the Diftinction of Nations with respect to External Means of Salvation.

To no perfection of the divine nature, do men how greater antipathy than to that of fovereignty. This not only appears by their refusing to fubmit to the grace of God, but by their reluctance to his precept, and their rebellion against his providence. Man ftrives with his Maker for the dominion, with refpect to his faith, his prac tice, and even his lot. He will acknowledge both justice and mercy, in the divine nature; he cannot, however, accede to the fovereignty of God in the exercise of thefe perfections. But fovereignty is impreffed, in the most legible characters, not only on the word, but on the works of God. Wherever we turn, it meets our eye. Do we enVAN 2 deavour

deavour to draw a veil over this ungrateful attribute, as clearly revealed in the doctrines of revelation? It arrefts our attention in the hiftories, Do we attempt to throw it out of our eternal interests? We must acknowledge its influence, however reluctantly, in every thing that concerns us for time. Do we exclude it from the affairs of men? We fee it written in the fate of angels. Do we banish it from earth? We find it enthroned in heaven. The Pfalmift, therefore, in celebrating this perfection, exhibits in one view the various parts of the universe, as harmonizing in its praife: "Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that "did he in heaven, and in earth, in the feas, and "in all deep places y." Does he, who bears the name of Chriftian, refufe to join in the afcription? Let him go and learn the truth from a heathen. Let him listen to the inftructions of the wifer Nebuchadnezzar: "All the inhabitants of the earth "are reputed as nothing; and he doth according "to his will in the army of heaven, and among "the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay "his hand, or fay unto him, What doft thou?”

As the corruptions of men are most deeply engaged against the work of redemption, the greateft oppofition to divine fovereignty appears in this quarter! Here it more directly opposes the pride of reafon, and the pride of will. Befides, the enemies of the gospel efpecially aim their fhafts againft divine fovereignty, as difplayed in our falvation. Hence are men ftaggered and overpower

y Pfal. exxxy, 6.

Iz Dan. iv. 35.

ed;

ed; and perhaps proceed to deny that very perfection, the operation of which they are forced to acknowledge in almost every other of the works of God.

き

It may, therefore, tend to throw light on this important fubject, to confider the difplay which is made of the fovereignty of God in other works, befides that of falvation, and in a variety of circumstances, evidently recorded in Scripture in fubferviency to this.

A particular illuftration of this perfection is the more neceffary, because, unless we have juft ideas of it, we cannot think juftly with respect to any other perfection of God. How eager have earthly princes been to render themfelves abfolute ! The richness of their revenues, the love of their fubjects, or the extent of their conquefts, have often been viewed as no counterbalance to the want of unlimited authority. Ahab was miferable, because he met with refiftance from the poffeffor of one poor vineyard: and Jezebel, his wife, feemed to think, that his royalty did not deserve the name, if he could not gratify himself in this inftance. "Doft thou now," she says, 86 govern the kingdom "of Ifrael a ?" Has not many a prince cheerfully hazarded his crown for the mere poffibility of enjoying abfolute fway? This is the groffeft arrogance in man, who is a worm. But fovereign authority is effential to the majesty of God. His will is not influenced by any cause without himself. But we are by no means to form our judgment N3

of

a 1 Kings xxi. 4.

of divine fovereignty, by comparing it with the arbitrary will of a finful creature. For God never exercises his fovereignty without a proper end. He is entirely fovereign in the display of his perefections, and in the manner and degree in which The difplays them. But his fovereignty is conftantly exercifed according to the rule of his per-fections. It is always in entire confiftency with -his holiness and juftice, wisdom and goodness. While fovereignty is ftill regulated by these perfections, it lends them a peculiar luftre. It is the troyal splendour of all the other attributes of God. Suppofe him to be poffeffed of all poffible perfections, and yet to act neceffarily in the difplay of thefe; it would greatly derogate from their glory. We could not, indeed, acknowledge him as the Supreme Being. By this, more than by any of his moral perfections, he is diftinguished from every creature, even the moft exalted. To" do

bis pleasure," is the highest honour to which any creature is advanced. But the Almighty difplays his felf-existence and independence, by ftill doing what pleases himself. When, therefore, the Church teftifies her affurance," that the LORD is great, "and that our LORD is above all gods;" this is the evidence that the immediately produces, He "hath done whatfoever he pleafed c."

1. The work of Creation, in various refpects, unfolds this attribute. He, who is Being itself, was under no neceffity of nature to communicate being to any other. He is equally independent

of all creatures for his bleffednefs, as for his bee ing. The poffeffion of thousands of worlds cannot in the leaft enrich him. The praifes of myriads of men or angels can make no addition to his felicity. Why, then, did he create the univerfe? Juft because he pleased. The fovereignty of his pleafure, as difplayed in the work of creation, is infeparably connected with the work itself, as an equally cogent reafon for the highest praife. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and "honour, and power for thou haft created all "things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were "created" He did not create, without an end worthy of himself. He propofed the manifestation of his infinite wisdom, power and goodness. On the fuppofition of his engaging in this work, he could have no other end in view. But ftill his creating, with this very defign, was the refult of a fovereign act of his will. For he did not ftand in need of any external manifeftation of his perfections; his bleffedness confifting in the eternal contemplation of thefe, in his own infinite mind...

Is it inquired, why God did not begin to create, till within less than fix thousand years back from the prefent time, when it was in his power to have given a far earlier difplay of his perfections? Or why, when he had exifted from eternity alone, he in time gave being to creatures formed for fellowship with him? It may indeed be faid, that no finite nature can exift from eternity; and that, although the most remote period, which the mind

d Rev. iv. 11.

N 4

of