modes of being, which are not exclusively dependent on God's work of Providence. Right reasoning leads us to conclude that the universe must have been originally created; and a sacred writer affirms-Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, Heb. xi. 3. Creation, the exclusive work of God, must be a consequent of divine choice, for as a voluntary work it involves the conception of plan. If you think creation is a work without previous plan, take a survey of animals; contemplate the organi zation and known properties of the various parts of your own animal body, in respect of its maturation, sustenance, and preservation, walking and working; and, also in relation to society, and more particularly to the other sex in respect of propagation; see if you can exclude plan, previous plan. If plan is granted, there was opportunity for choice of plan in numerous particulars. For instance, whether persons who inhabit this globe should have their present form, or the configuration of lions, eagles, or whales, or any other form existing or not existing among animals; and, whether of their present size, that of an elephant or that of an animalcule; whether with five, less than five, or more than five senses;-whether the man, or the woman, or neither, should be created first. We learn from scripture that" Adam was first formed, and then Eve;" but, surely, he was not formed without special respect to the intention of forming a woman.

Generation, or procreation, seems, in order of nature, the first work of divine Providence;

and

and here also was opportunity for chusing. Every person recollects other ways of generation than that of the human species, among animals; and some who have read natural history recollect several more; and none can say, with any evidence, that either way or other manners that might be imagined, if chosen, would be incompatible with the generating of animals endowed with human minds.

Opportunity for chusing the circumstances of man must also have presented itself. Whe ther the human species should inhabit land or water, or be amphibious; whether their subsistence should in whole, or in part, depend on their own exertion, and, consequently, be liable to temptation to covetousness; or, that the earth should bring them forth, without their labour, a surplusage of food and raiment, or their lives be sustained without any sensible medium; and thus without opportunity for temptation to injustice to each other: Both which perhaps resolve themselves into choice whether they should be active voluntary beings; or else, like vegetables, without such impulsive principle.

But the divine choice of a species of suasive government for human beings, more eminently claims our attention. By suasive governing, I mean ruling mankind. There was, undoubtedly, opportunity for chusing either a natural suasive government, a supernatural suasive government, or a mixed suasive government; also, whether moral rectitude should be aided by lesser or by greater, or by no supernatural assistance. Certainly there was opportunity for selecting the various instruments of suasive

govern

government; opportunity for chusing whether divine injunctions should be given to every man, immediately, as to Adam and Moses; or else transferred and conveyed by history for the use of following generations: And opportunity for chusing whether the sin or obedience of the first man, should affect his posterity by traduction, example, pain, pleasure, &c.; or every man be unaffected in every view by the sin and virtue of all others. Contrasts of conceived conduct previous to voluntary action, gives opportunity for chusing; and so certain as we may be that difference in the objects in conception existed, in respect of the reason for chusing, so certain we may be that what God hath actually done under these classes is the consequent of his actual choice, a choice consonant with his essential wisdom and every other divine perfection.

The sanctions by which the divine law or laws are enforced, are also objects of choice. Whether obedience should be rewarded with a longer or shorter life of felicity; whether, also, with a greater or lesser degree of enjoyment were certainly objects of divine chusing; whether sin should be punished by an immediate loss of conscious existence, or by a life of suffering; whether with a longer or with a shorter life of suffering; whether with a greater or a lesser degree of suffering, were also objects from which to chuse.

We rationally conceive the divine constitution of government for human beings to consist of parts; whether all the parts should be manifested at once, or at different seasons of duration progressively, must be resolved into

divine choice and wisdom. Whether an abrogated part of the constitution should be followed by this, or by that, or by another part, were objects of divine choice. Whether God shall pardon any sinner or sinners, or none; whether pardon with or without their repentance; whether pardon through a vicarious sacrifice, or not, depended on his previous wise choice, and chosen plan: Whether the salvation shall be bestowed arbitrarily on this, or on that sinner; or else, according to a specific character, for instance, those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, which faith cometh by hearing or reading, and both of these through the divine testimony; whether the sacred change of a depraved sinner shall be by a miraculous interposition in his favour, or by the force of revealed truth, under the mysterious benign and glorious concurrence of the Spirit of God; whether this gracious change shall be perfected instantaneously in all respects, or else, be gradual till complete in glory; whether, in the latter case, sanctification or growth in the divine life and likeness shall be effected by a series of miracles, or by a course of exercise, reflection, and observations on experience, and the unfoldings of divine truth in this variegated state of pilgrimage: All these are resolvable into divine choice.

One scripture species of divine chusing was, of places on this earth for important purposes relative to suasive government. Thus, Eden for the accommodation of our first parents; Mount Sinai for giviug the law; and Mount Zion for a temple consecrated to divine worship. More remarkable was the divine choice

of

of Canaan for a theatre of great events, near the centre of the more inhabited part of the world; and, probably, there are yet predictions and promises to be accomplished in that land once given to the children of Israel for a pos

session.

A most remarkable instance of divine chusing was the choice of a particular family, that of Abraham, for receiving and being stewards of the divine revelations; and, to display more eminiently in their history, the divine special ruling of human beings. Of the jewish people we may with truth affirm, that in these days of bold infidelity, they are, undesignedly, the providential stewards of evidence that such a person as Jesus Christ existed about eighteen centuries ago; wrought apparent miracles; and died on a cross without the gates of Jerusalem. The great importance of their testimony will appear when we reflect, that a deist has lately asserted in writing, that, "there are absolutely no other monuments of the existence of Jesus Christ as a human being than a passage in Josephus, a single phrase in Tacitus, and the Gospels."

I

Another scripture species of divine chusing is that of determinate individuals to particular offices, special services, and supernatural calls, which concurred to the execution of the divine plan for ruling human beings. think we rightly recur to our Lord Jesus Christ in the first place, whose election to his various offices in respect of the salvation of sinners, makes a conspicuous subject of the holy scrip

tures,

Rom. iii, 1.2