if you deny there is any condition in thofe that are faved, because they cannot but believe, I must likewife deny there is any condition to them that perish, because they cannot be lieve. And fo there is no condition on either fide.

Lewis. But fuppofing there is a condition on either fide, yet they fay, here is the difference, God gives all things neceffary for falvation to the elect; but to none elfe. Fred. If fo, he does not will all thofe to be faved, whom he invites to falvation. For to will that they fhould be faved, implies the willing that they be fupplied with all things neceffary to falvation. If a phyfician who alone could cure you of a fever, fhould fay, "I am willing to cure you of your fever," and yet would not give you the things which are neceffary to cure it, what would you fay? Lewis. That he lied, or that he mocked me. Fred. What if to him who faid, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canft make me clean, Christ had anfwered, I will: be thou clean: and yet had not cleansed him, what would you fay? Lewis. That Chrift had mocked him. Fred. The cafe is just the fame. For if God fays, "I will, that all men be faved," and yet will not fupply all men with all things neceffary to falva. tion, he undoubtedly mocks them. If you were to say to your fon, "I will have you learn to write, and yet gave him neither pen, ink, nor paper, which he could not have but from you; and afterwards were angry with him, because he had not learnt, who would not think you a madman? And they fuppofe God to act exactly in this manner.

Who can reconcile these contradictions? God fays, Come unto me, and I will give you reft: while, mean time, he has fo bound me by his decree, that I can no more come unto him than I can fly and afterwards, because I cannot come, he cafts me into everlasting fire! He faid to dead Lazarus,

:

Come forth. And he that was dead, came forth. He faith unto me, "Come forth out of thy fins." And is it his will that Lfhould not come forth? Such is the power of his word, that it commands winds, feas, devils, difeafes, death, and they

obey.

obey. And is it his will, that I fhould not obey when he commands? Does he himself fo bind me, that I cannot? Who even of us is capable of fuch injuftice? O beware of thinking God capable of it!

[To be continued.]

SERMON X.

On GENESIS i. 31.

And God faw every thing that he had made; and behold, it

1.

WHEN

was very good.

WHEN God created the heavens and the earth, and all that is therein, at the conclufion of each day's work it is faid, And God faw that it was good. Whatever was created was good in its kind, fuited to the end for which it was designed, adapted to promote the good of the whole, and the glory of the great Creator.

This fentence it pleafed God to país, with regard to each particular creature. But there is a remarkable variation of the expreffion, with regard to all the parts of the Univerfe, taken in connexion with each other, and conftituting one fyftem. And God faw every thing that he had made: and behold, it was very good!

2. How fmall a part of this great work of God is man able to understand! But it is our duty to contemplate what he has wrought, and to understand as much of it as we are able. For the merciful Lord, as the Pfalmift obferves, hath fo done his marvellous works, of Creation as well as of Providence, that they ought to be had in remembrance by all that fear him, which they cannot well be, unless they are underfood. Let us then, by the affiflance of that Spirit who giveth unto man understanding, endeavour to take a general furvey of the

works

works which God made in this lower world, as they were, before they were difordered and depraved, in confequence of the fin of man: we fhall then eafily fee, that as every creature was good in its primeval ftate; fo when all were compacted in one general Syftem, behold, they were very good. I do not remember to have feen any attempt of this kind, unless in that truly excellent Poem, (termed by Mr. Hutchinson, That wicked farce:) Milton's Paradife Loft.

1. In the beginning God created the matter of the heavens and the earth. (So the words, as a great man obferves, may properly be tranflated.) He firft created the four Elements, out of which the whole Univerfe was compofed, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, all mingled together in one common mass. The groffeft parts of this, the earth and water, were utterly without form, till God infufed a principle of motion, commanding the Air to move upon the face of the waters. In the next place, the Lord God faid, Let there be light: and there was light. Here were the four conftituent parts of the univerfe: the true, original, fimple Elements. They were all effentially dif tinct from each other: and yet fo intimately mixt together in all compound bodies, that we cannot find any, be it ever fo minute, which does not contain them all.

2. And God faw that every one of these was good, was perfect in its kind. The earth was good: the whole furface of it was beautiful in a high degree. To make it more agreeable,

He clothed

The univerfal face with pleasant green."

He adorned it with Flowers of every hue, and with Shrubs and Trees of every kind. And every part was fertile as well as beautiful: it was no where deformed by rough or ragged 1ocks: it did not fhock the view with horrid precipices, huge

chafms,

chafms, or dreary caverns; with deep, impaffable moraffes, or deferts of barren fand. But we have not any authority to fay, with fome learned and ingenious Authors, That there were no Mountains on the original earth, no unevennesses on its furface. It is not eafy to reconcile this Hypothefis, with thofe words of Mofes, The waters increafed-and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward (above the higheft) did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered, Gen. vii. 19, 20. We have no reason to believe, that these mountains were produced by the deluge itfelf. Not the leaft intimation of this is given: therefore we cannot doubt but they exifted before. it indeed they anfwered many excellent purposes, befide greatly increafing, the beauty of the creation, by a variety of profpects, which had been totally loft, had the earth been one extended plain. Yet we need not fuppofe that their fides were abrupt, or difficult of afcent. It is highly probable, that they rofe and fell, by almoft infenfible degrees.

3. As to the internal parts of the earth, even to this day, we have scarce any knowledge of them. Many have fuppofed the centre of the Globe to be furrounded with an abyfs of fire. Many others have imagined it to be incompaffed with an abyfs of water; which they fuppofed to be termed in fcripture, the great deep, Gen. vii. 11: all the fountains of which were broken up, in order to the general deluge. But however this was, we are fure all things were difpofed therein, with the most perfect order and harmony. Hence there were no agitations within the bowels of the Globe: no violent convulfions; no concufions of the Earth; no Earthquakes; but all was unmoved as the pillars of heaven. There were then no fuch thing as eruptions of fire: there were no Volcanos, burning Mountains. Neither Vefuvius, Etna nor Hecla, if they had any being, then poured out fmoke and flame: but were covered with a verdant mantle, from the top to the bottom.

1

4. The Element of Water, it is probable was then mostly confined within the great abyfs. In the New Earth (as we are informed by the Apoftle, Rev. xxi. 1,) There will be no more fea: none covering as now the face of the earth, and rendering fo large a part of it uninhabitable by man. Hence it is probable, there was no external Sea in the Paradifiacal earth: none, until the Great Deep burft the barriers which were originally appointed for it: indeed there was not then that need of the Ocean for Navigation, which there is now. For either (as the Poet fuppofes)

Omnis tulit omnia tellus;

Every country produced whatever was requifite either for the neceffity or comfort of its inhabitants: or man being then (as he will be again at the refurrection) equal to angels, was able to convey himself at his pleasure, to any given distance. Over and above that thofe flaming Messengers were always ready to minifter to the heirs of falvation. But whether there was fea or not, there were rivers fufficient to water the earth and make it very plenteous. Thefe answered all the purposes of convenience and pleasure;

By "liquid lapfe of murmuring ftream."

To which were added gentle genial fhowers, with falutary mifts and exhalations. But there were no putrid lakes, no turbid or flagnating waters; but only

Such as "bore impreft

Fair Nature's image on their placid breast.”

5. The Element of Air was then always ferene, and always friendly to man. It contained no frightful Meteors, no

unwholfome