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Sons of Samuel himself abused their pious parent's authority; the crimes even of David and Solomon; all these facts supply abundant proofs, that as in the people, so in the chiefs, there was a mixture of weakness and unsteadiness, an immaturity of undue ascendancy; Solomon, notwithstanding his extraordinary wisdom, was corrupted by sensuality, and fell into idolatry; and thus of the rest. But does this render it incredible that they were at all employed by God to effect his purposes, or on particular occasions assisted with extraordinary aid? Assuredly not. This would be to affirm that God could not interpose at all in human affairs, without interposing to such a degree, as would totally subvert the laws of man's moral nature, and the principles of his own moral government, by forcibly controlling human agency, and subverting all free will. The unreasonableness of supposing or expecting that the Deity should interpose to such a degree as this, is strongly and beautifully illustrated by archbishop King, in his celebrated Treatise on the Origin of Evil; and his observations are applied to the subject before us, by his learned and ingenious annotator, bishop Law. I shall insert a short extract from each; vide King's Origin of Evil, translated by Law, ch. v. sect. v. Subsect. III. p. 359. "Such an interruption as this," (viz. God's restraining all exercises of free will, when they tend to vice and absurdity; vide the two preceding paragraphs, particularly p. 356.) " would not only do violence "to nature, but quite invert the method of treating free agents. This "method is, to hinder or excite elections by rewards or punishments, to "divert them from unreasonable or absurd things, and draw them to better "by the persuasion of reason. But it is doubtful whether the nature of "the thing will permit an election to be determined by impulse, or as it were "by immediate contact, for it seems equally absurd to attempt a change of "election by any other means than those above mentioned, as to desire to stop the motion of matter by intreaty or offering rewards. May we not with the same reason expect that matter should be removed by rewards "and punishments, as the will influenced by physical impulse, as they call it? "for it is by these means they would have God to stop or alter the choice. So preposterous an interposal would confound every thing, and leave "nothing certain in nature. How fatal such an experiment would be, and "how it would affect the minds of the observers; or what suspicions concerning God and their own security, it might suggest to the whole system "of thinking beings, God only knows. We see that human laws cannot "be dispensed with, without very many inconveniencies, which yet, as they are made upon an imperfect foresight, and can provide for few cases, seem naturally to require some interposition. How much greater evils may apprehend from a dispensation with the divine, the natural laws, on "the observance of which the good of the whole depends. This seems to be the reason why God makes use of so much labor and pains, so great an apparatus of means, so many precepts, persuasions, and even entreaties for "the amendment of mankind, which nevertheless he could effect in a moment, if he were pleased to apply force; and, he would undoubtedly do it, "if he had not foreseen more inconveniencies from a change in the order of nature, and violence done to elections." On the preceding paragraph his Annotator very truly remarks, "The history of the Jewish nation affords "good instances of this: what an apparatus of outward means was continually made use of in the government of that stiff-necked people! What "frequent murmurings, rebellions and apostasies were permitted and then "punished! What numerous miracles, both of the remunerative and vin"dictive kind, were applied, in order to bring them to some tolerable sense "of their dependence on God, and suitable practice of the duties resulting " from it! All which would have been unnecessary at least, if one miracle

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intellect, and dulness of sentiment as to morality and religion, which, though controlled and overruled by Providence, so as to prevent them from defeating the great objects of the divine dispensations, which these individuals were otherwise qualified to "exerted on their minds could have done the business; if their understand"ings could as well have been illuminated, and their wills reformed at once; "and if their practice produced by this means, and, as it were, extorted from "them, would have been equally agreeable to the Deity. And in this, as "well as many other respects, they seem to have been types and representa"tives of all mankind."

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Archbishop King's idea of the nature of God's moral government, in Subsect. v. of the same Chapter, seems to me so just, and to cast so much light on many facts and arguments considered in this Work, I cannot forbear transcribing it. "As it would be prejudicial to man, to all nature, for "God to hinder bad elections by his absolute power, so nothing can be "conceived so disagreeable to himself. We have said, that God made the "world, in order to have something whereon to exercise his attributes "externally. But since he has several attributes, he cannot exercise them "all in every thing alike: his power, therefore, exerts itself chiefly in one "thing, his wisdom and goodness in another. He exercised his power in creating the world and putting it into motion; his goodness and wisdom "in the order and agreement of things. But the Divine Wisdom seems to "have set apart the government of free agents as its peculiar province; "herein it fully exercises itself, and acts up to its infinity: for if it were finite, "it would not be equal to so great a task. It does not seem a very extraordinary thing for God to be able to govern and absolutely direct such beings as are merely passive, and deprived of all motion of their own, whereby they might make resistance; for those things obey easily which "do not move but when they are moved, neither is there need of infinite "wisdom to govern them; for infinite power with a moderate use of "wisdom would have been sufficient. That there might be a subject, there"fore, whereon the infinite wisdom of God should display itself, he created "free agents; which being as it were put out of his power and left to themselves, might act in a manner independent of his will. It is evident "to any person, how much more difficult it is, and how much greater exer"cise of wisdom it requires, to direct a multitude of these to a certain end, "and make them conspire to the common good; than to order brute beasts, "and such as have no power of themselves, in what manner you please. "To them that consider the vast multitude of free agents, which is almost "infinite, and their independence (since every one is, at least in many cases, "absolute master of his own actions, and is permitted by God to act accord"ing to that liberty) God seems to have given a specimen of the extent of "his wisdom, which is able thus certainly and effectually to bring to the "end proposed so many free spirits, so many agents that were in a manner set at liberty from his dominion, and committed every one to his own << government. Here is the proper place for wisdom, wherein, setting aside "and in a manner suspending the exercise of his power, he attains his ends "by prudence only, by mere dexterity of acting; and brings it to pass, so many jarring wills, depending on themselves alone, and no more in"clined to either side by the divine Power, than if there were no such thing, shall yet conspire together to promote the good of the universe." Colliber's opinion, as quoted by Law, shall close this already too long note, for which the importance of the subject will, it is hoped, apologize. "It was highly suitable," (says this judicious writer) "to the Divine Wisdom, "in the government of the world, both to pre-ordain some of the principal “events, with relation to the entire human community, or to the more con

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promote, yet should always prevent us from considering them as held forth by Scripture as in every instance of their conduct favored of God and to be imitated by man. In general, indeed, this is expressly noted in the Scripture itself, and an immediate punishment declared to be inflicted for their offences: where it is not, we are undoubtedly called on to compare their conduct with the PERFECT MODEL of our LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, and by this comparison judge how far they are worthy of our imitation; adopting the sentiment of the Apostle, who declared, "For such an High Priest became us, who "is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made "higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those "high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and "then for the people: for this he did once, when he offered up "himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have

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"siderable parts of it, and to reserve to himself a right of interposing, and 'influencing particular agents; as in other cases, so more especially in order "to the accomplishment of these events. That he has actually done so, is "abundantly evident from Scripture prophecies and histories; and that in so doing he has acted in a manner most worthy his wisdom, is no less "manifest. For hereby it appears, that the divine government is equally 'opposed to chance and destiny. Had the Deity taken no care of futurity, "but left every man to the conduct of his own inclination, and natural "effects in general to the influence of their causes, without ever interposing "to direct them to the attainment of his great design, this would have been "almost in effect to divest himself of the government of rational agents, "and to subject their affairs to chance, and to the hazard of the utmost dis"order and confusion; or had he, on the contrary, absolutely or fatally "determined every event, though this would have been far enough from divesting himself of the government of the world, yet it would have been "a government unworthy of the Deity; a government entirely exclusive of "all proper sin and punishment, virtue and reward; wherein he himself would have been in effect the only agent, and all the creatures stupid and “passive; whereas, by pre-ordaining the more material events, and suffering "the creatures freely to exert their faculties in all convenient cases, he ap❝pears most wisely to have chosen the middle way, and thereby to have equally avoided the mischiefs of both extremes."

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For more on this difficult subject, I refer to King's Work at large, to which, as far as appears to me, no adequate answer has been given. I would also entreat the inquiring reader to consider what has been advanced by Butler, in his Analogy, Part. I. ch. iii. Of the moral government of God; ch. vi. Of the opinion of necessity, as influencing practice; and ch. vii. Of the government of God, as being imperfectly comprehended; as well as ch. V. Of a state of moral discipline. He would soon be convinced how idly ignorant and superficial sceptics object to what God has done; from their wild theories as to what, in their opinions, he might, should or could have done.

This is remarkably conspicuous in the cases of Samson and Eli, David and Solomon.

† Heb. vii. 26, 28.

"infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, "maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore."

I shall here close these remarks, by entreating my younger readers, that in considering this as well as every succeeding part of the Jewish dispensation, they may recollect, that the effects arising from it were at no one period so complete and extensive, as to justify us in supposing the state of things at that period was that on which Providence rested as perfect and final. No, it was still a system in progress. To this hour the Jewish scheme is yet in progress: important as are the effects it has already produced, the singular situation of this people at this moment, outcast, as they appear to be, from the kingdom of Christ, when compared with the prophetic declaration of their future conversion, after the "fulness of the Gentiles shall have ""* come in," must convince us we cannot yet fathom the counsels of God, in the entire series of the divine economy. Yet we perceive its perpetual tendency, sometimes to produce in the whole mass of the Jewish nation, an increasing sense of virtue and religion, by counteracting their prejudices and errors, and punishing their crimes and apostasies; sometimes leading a chosen few within the bosom of this nation, to far higher attainments in piety, and making them the instruments of impressing religious instruction, and religious sentiments, not so much on their immediate countrymen, as on remote nations in remote ages; thus at a great distance preparing the way for the Christian scheme.

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Finally let it be recollected, that the design of the Jewish economy was not solely or chiefly to preserve the Jews themselves in perfect separation from the surrounding nations, and in perfect obedience to the divine law; so that where this effect was not fully produced, it should be supposed to have failed in accomplishing its purpose: No, the GREAT OBJECT of this dispensation was, to preserve in the world a STANDING MONUMENT AND A STANDING PROOF OF THE UNITY, THE SUPREMACY, AND THE PROVidence of JehOVAH: and this effect was perpetually and uniformly produced in all the periods and by all the events of the Jewish history. Whether the Jews were obedient and prosperous, or idolatrous and depressed, in their apostasies and captivities, as well as their repentance and

* Rom. xi. 25.

restorations, the power and providence of Jehovah were equally conspicuous; and, so far as concerned the great bulk of mankind, the interests of religion equally promoted and secured, and that providential dispensation successfully conducted, which was necessary to prepare for and introduce the GOSPEL of CHRIST.

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