gang? "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord."-" Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me thy law graciously."

SECTION VIII.

"Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not?"-LAM. iii, 37.

This passage is quoted as an undeniable proof, that every thing that is done in earth, either good or evil, is done, as the effect and consequent of the command of the Lord. But this is diverting the word from its design, for it speaks not of doing but of saying. And the Lord reproves Israel for the doing of things which he declares he did not command; as it is written,"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle, because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; they have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt-offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake of it, neither came it into my mind."-JER. xix, 3, 5.

Here then are things done which the Lord commanded not. Nor does this passage militate against the above, for it speaks not of doing but of saying: "Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not?" So that it relates to

such as speak of things future, or that predict things to come; as Hananiah, who spake a lie in the name of the Lord, as follows:-" Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon and I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah that went into Babylon, saith the Lord."JER. xxviii, 2, 4.

Now here are things said that did not come to pass; and why? Because the Lord commanded it not, neither did the Lord command the prophet to declare any such things, but he spake it presumptuously, and prophesied a vision out of his own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. Hence, the man of God denounces the divine sentence upon him; as it is written "Then said the prophet Jeremiah, unto Hananiah the prophet, hear now, Hananiah, The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord, behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died, the same year in the seventh month."-- JER. xxviii, 15, 17.

"Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not?" Not the lying impostor. "I am the Lord, that frustrateth the tokens

of the liars, and maketh the diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; that confirmeth the word of his servant, and and performeth the counsel of his messengers."-Is. xliv, 24, 26.

So that if the passage be suffered to speak its own language, it will no more support the doctrine for which it is brought forward, than truth would support a lie, or than an honest man would aid a thief. And if the scriptures will not support our creed without doing violence to the law, it shews that our ereed is unscriptural. And shall we do violence to the word of God in order to force it to our purpose ? No let us rather unfetter it, and suffer it to breathe its own air, and speak its own language, and that too with all freedom, that it may correct our errors, and teach us truth. And it would be our wisdom to hearken diligently to its heavenly instruction with a thankful, attentive, and obedient

ear.

SECTION IY.

"So let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, wherefore hast thou done so ?"--2 SAM. xvi, 10.

Upon the authority of this passage, some boldly affirm, that God was here the cause of Sin, and hence also infer, that he is the cause of every Sin, and of

every curse uttered by ungodly men.

But upon

the

same authority, they might forbid all legal interference

and punishment for crime, and say, concerning every incorrigible rogue,-So let him steal, so let him murder; so let him curse, because the Lord hath bidden him. Who shall then say, wherefore hast thou done so?" If the Lord has bidden him to do it, he cannot have better authority to act upon; it would be Sin for him not to do it. Who then shall dare to interfere? So that to act fairly and strictly up to such a doctrine, every abomination and public outrage would be tolerated, and all legal interference, and punishment for crime would be at once prohibited by divine authority. But the plain tenor of the passage breathes a contrary doctrine; the very cursing of Shimei was viewed by David as a chastisement for Sin; and the man of God feeling himself verily guilty, submitted to it, as being a twig of that rod wherewith the Lord was then chastising him for his transgressions. And it was under this view of the circumstances that David says,-"Let him alone, let him curse, because the Lord hath bidden him." As much as to say, it is my father's hand using the rod, that I have merited by my Sin; and shall I in rebellion seize it or attempt to wrest it from him that has shook the crowu from off my head, and the sceptre from my hand? No: I humbly submit myself under the mighty hand of God; I know that in faithfulness he afflicteth me; and "I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him."

Now such a state of humility and resignation, is acceptable to God, and profitable to man; but to see nothing more in the above portion of the word, than

that of God being the cause of Sin, is neither a God glorifying, nor a soul-profiting view of the subject.

SECTION X.

"And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel."— EZE. xiv, 9.

This solemn portion of the word is brought forward, by the high advocates for a Sin-ordaining sovereignty, as a proof that the Lord wills, decrees, and works all Sin in the hearts of men. But does the passage really set forth and signify that the Lord sends a man with a false message, and then destroys him for delivering it? Can this be the sense of the Holy Ghost therein, or is it a mistaken view of the subject?

If we trace the connection of this passage back to its commencement in the preceding chapter, we shall find a catalogue of solemn charges, threatenings, and woes, denonnced against the false prophets of Israel; as it is written :-" Thus saith the Lord God; woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!'-Eze. xiii, 3. Here we see what sort of prophets they are whom the Lord deceives ;-viz. not the true, but the false prophets; not men sent of God, but such as send themselves. Nor does the Lord deceive these prophets to make them deceivers, but he deceives them because they