nefs, when directed to the Almighty Parent himfelf? Of what account is the clay to the potter? If "the veffel, that he made of it, be marred in "his hand, he makes it again another veffel, as

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feems good to the potter to make it." Thus doth the LORD addrefs us; "O houfe of Israel, "cannot I do with you as this potter? Behold, "as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in "mine hand, O houfe of Ifraeli." Man is a very important being in his own eye. increase his confequence with his Maker? On the contrary, "all the inhabitants of the earth are

But doth this

reputed as nothing." "Behold, the nations are "as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the "finall duft of the balance: behold, he taketh

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up the isles as a very little thing.-All nations "before him are as nothing, and they are counted "to him lefs than nothing, and vanity!."

2. This perfection is very apparent in the whole management of the world of nature. Often indeed does God employ the elements as the inftruments of his juftice. But in his ordinary adminiftration, they are to be viewed as the monitors of his fovereignty. "Fire, hail, fnow, va

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pour, ftormy wind, fulfil his word m." He not only, for judgment, "caufeth it to rain on one city, and not on another ";" but, because it is his pleasure, he caufeth "it to rain on the earth "where no man is, on the wildernefs wherein "there is no man "."." He fendeth forth his com

"mandment upon earth; his word runneth very

fwiftly. He giveth fnow like wool; he fcat"tereth the hoar-froft like afhes. He cafteth "forth his ice like morfels; who can ftand be"fore his cold? He fendeth out his word, and "melteth them: he caufeth his wind to blow, "and the waters flow." All these are effects of his fovereignty in the natural kingdom; and his conduct in the world of grace is ftrictly analogous. For it immediately follows; "He fhew"eth his word unto Jacob, his ftatutes and his judgments unto Ifrael. He hath not dealt fo "with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them P."

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3. God hath difplayed his fovereignty in confecrating the seventh part of our time to his fervice. The worship of rational creatures is founded on the nature of God. But the limitation of the time, to be devoted to his fervice, depends upon his will. He might have restricted the labour of man to five days, or extended it to seven. He might have claimed fix parts of our time, and allowed us only the feventh to ourselves. In this cafe, we could have had no right to complain; for he would have ordered matters fo, that, what part of our time foever was devoted to work, would have been fufficient for our fuftenance. The reafon affigned for the confecration of a feventh portion of our time, is God's working fix days, and resting on the seventh. But this is only to be viewed as the immediate reafon. As

p Pfal. cxlvii. 15.-20.

q Gen. ii. 2, 3.

his

his working exactly fix days depended on his fovereign pleasure; to the fame fource muft the fanctification of a feventh part of our time be ultimately traced. For he previously determined, in the immutable counfel of his will, to work only fix days, to reft on the feventh, and therefore to appropriate this portion of time to his worship.

4. God hath fignally difplayed his fovereignty in permitting the entrance of fin. It would be every way unworthy of God, to fuppofe that he could not have prevented this. He, who formed intelligent creatures after his own image, could as eafily have fecured them in the poffeffion of this ftate of integrity, without a poffibility of falling. Had he pleased, fin would have been unknown both to angels and to men. We may be affured, therefore, that he had a proper end in view in determining the permiffion of this greatest of evils. Reafon itself teaches us, that whatever is permitted by the moral Governor of the world must be for the beft. Scripture confirms its voice, by informing us that God maketh "the very wrath "of man to praise him." We may therefore reft fatisfied, that, in his infinite wisdom, he faw that he could bring greater glory to himself even by means of fin, than if it had never been permitted. He knew that there would be an opportunity for the difplay of perfections, which otherwife, although revealed, could never have been exercifed;-for the display of juftice in the punishment of fin, or of mercy in the pardon of it, or of both with

with respect to different objects. But his knowledge of the poffibility of this, laid him under no neceffity as to the event. Was it an act of his fovereign will to manifeft his perfections at all? It was no lefs a fovereign act to determine that they should be difplayed in this particular way, as the confequence of the entrance of fin. Had he feen meet to reftrict himself to that difplay of his perfections which was confiftent with a state of univerfal innocency, no one could have had a right to find fault. Although millions of intelligent creatures fuffer, in confequence of his permitting the entrance of fin, no one may dare to complain. For," who hath enjoined him his way "or who can fay, Thou haft wrought iniquity "."

r

?

Again, the measure of this evil is entirely the refult of his fovereign pleasure. He might have fuffered fin to enter among angels, and prevented its introduction into our lower world. Or he might have permitted this rebellion on his footftool, and prevented the poffibility of its raifing its head around his throne. It might have been fo ordered, that only a part of the human race fhould have been involved in rebellion; while the integrity of others might have been secured, like that of holy angels. Nay, he might have fuffered the evil to extend as far in heaven as it hath done on earth, and given it that restraint on earth which it hath had in heaven. Various conjectures may be offered as to the reafons of the divine conduct in these respects; and various reflections

r Job xxxvi. 23.

may

may be made, illuftrating its infinite propriety. But all these things must be ultimately refolved into the pleasure of Him who " worketh all things "after the counfel of his own will "."

We may add, that one great end for which God hath permitted the entrance of this greatest of evils, is deeply to imprefs rational creatures with a fense of this adorable perfection. It might have been manifefted in a variety of inftances, although fin had never entered. It was, as has been seen, actually manifefted before the entrance of fin. But, had not the eternal interefts of intelligent creatures immediately depended on the exercife of this perfection, it could never have appeared with fuch glory and majefty.

5. The fovereignty of God eminently appears in fufpending the whole happiness of mankind on the conduct of one perfon. This perfection, indeed, is not the only one that may be traced in the federal character given to our common parent. If we take a juft view of it, we fhall perceive a ftriking display of divine grace. The carnal heart, which still reflects on the ways of God, may be apt to accufe his juftice, and to infinuate, that matters had been fet on a better footing for the human race, if the happinefs or mifery of every individual had depended on his own conduct; that, in this cafe, although many, "like Adam," might have tranfgreffed the covenant," it is improbable that all would have done fo; that, at any rate, the fall, and the confequent mifery of

fome,

$ Eph. i. 11.