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acknowledge dark sayings in scripture, and things hard to be understood. But the dfficulties rise not so much from the word, as a na. tural unbelief, prejudice, and darkness within; with those crooked, wrinkled, or discolored mediums, men commonly look through at spiritual things, and which must needs render the objects they look at unlike to themselves.

There is also another snare, as catching as any other, and as worthy to be cautioned against. The doctrine of free grace, being so illustrious in the scriptures as not to be spoken against, they will talk as highly for it in general terms, as any other, and tell us what great pretensions their doctrine hath to magnify grace, and that they design nothing more than the honor of it; while, indeed, it is not grace, but a contrary thing set up with that name; for, follow the stream, either upward or downward, and as it all rises from, so it all runs into, freedom of will, and advancement of self, as is obvious to any impartial observer.

I shall further only notice at present, certain seemingly accidental queries, modestly pretended, for argument's sake, to clear up obscu rities, and reconcile contradictions; which, though a good work in itself, if orderly managed, they follow so far, and in such manner, that they do, in effect, bring principles into question, and erase the very groundworks of religion.

These things are mentioned, not to uncover the weakness of persons, but of principles, and that only as they derogate from the honor of free grace, and tend to subvert the soul; and the end of it is, to prevent such as may be hovering about, as not knowing where to settle, from being caught by the enticingness of words, contrary to the simplicity of the gospel.

What remains then, but that we bless God, adoring his glorious wisdom and grace, that matters of present duty, and greatest im portance to us, are so plainly revealed, and eternal salvation so little concerned in the present conciliating of seeming discord? There is enough manifested to take up our time and strength; and our living up to that we know, is the readiest way to know more. "He that will do his will, shall know of his doctrine." And, in the fulness of time, those seeming discordances shall have an illustrious reconcile. ment; and they that have most firmly believed now, against all their carnal reasonings, and unreasonable contradictions, shall not have the weakest reflections and rays of glory from the lustre of that day: and this, I suppose, he had an eye to, (a person of no ordinary rank for human accomplishments,) who, treating of God's decrees, did freely confess, "That he could not indeed comprehend them, but would captivate reason to the obedience of faith." With this I close, subjoining only a word of religious exhortation; namely, that though it do not confer grace, it may prove, as it has proved to many, a good preservative from evils in practice, and errors in judgment, which others, who had not that gracious privilege, have more naturally fallen into. Besides, when God comes to work effectually, those notions of sin, of Christ, and of grace, of which before they had but the form, have proved of singular use to facilitate the work. That the Lord will vouchsafe his blessing with it, is the prayer of his servant, ELISHA COLES.

PRACTICAL DISCOURSE

OF

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY.

THIS high and tremendous attribute, being an ocean that has neither bank nor bottom, may not be lightly launched into by any, however strongly built and well manned, much less by so weak a vessel, without a divine compass, and an anchor within the veil. That the author of this DISCOURSE came into it, was not of choice or design, but of course and emergent necessity. Could he have found another basis to repose that doctrine upon, which was, at first, his only intended subject, he had not touched upon this. But, apparently to him, no ground would bear the weight of Election, but that of Sovereignty, and there it fixed as on a rock; all the lines of its whole circumference running there, and resting there, as in their centre, where also the scripture had laid it. Rom. 9: Eph. 1: &c. And, however it be a foundation disallowed of men, every observing Christian shall find, that without acknowledging divine Sovereignty, for the original, supreme, and unac countable disposer of persons and things, he shall want a principal means of supporting his faith, and quieting his understanding, in the course of common providences; much more of those mysterious occurrences, and supernatural truths, which he is certainly concerned about.

In this preface I shall treat first of God's sovereignty, and then of his righteousness, as its natural adjunct. The sum of the first lies in this proposition, namely,

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"That the great God, blessed forever, hath an absolute power and right of dominion over his creatures, to dispose and determine them as seemeth him good."

That there is such a power, and that this power belongs

to God, no other reason needs be assigned, but, that "he is God, and there is none besides him:" there can be no more, because, 1. There can be but one infinite; for such a being fills heaven and earth; and so no place or room for another. 2. There can be but one omnipotent; for he that is such, hath all others under his feet: besides, where one can do all, more would be impertinent. 3. There can be but one supreme; supreme power may reside in many, as in mixed monarchies and commonwealths; but as law. makers and supreme, they are but one. 4. There can be but one first cause, from which all beings else derive their original; "of whom, and for whom, are all things," 1 Cor. 8: 6. And if he be the Author of all, he needs must have a sovereign right and power to determine all; both as to their being, order, efficacy, and end.

"That sovereign power belongs to God," is a truth so natural, and obvious to reason, that other proof seems as needless, as that the sun is the fountain of light: nor shall I suppose that any who will read this discourse, can so far forget themselves to be creatures, as to seek a proof of their Creator's sovereignty; "the things that are seen so loudly proclaiming his eternal power and Godhead." But since, with our easy admitting the notion, it is none of the smallest difficulties to own it in our practice, and bear our. selves answerably towards him: since also so huge a weight is borne on the shoulders of this divine attribute, and our souls are so highly concerned in the interest and influence of it, it needs must be our duty, and well worthy our time, to look over the instances of it, and to mark and consider them well, as things greatly importing our instruction; whereby we may know something of the greatness of that God in whose hands our souls are; as also of our infi nite distance from him, and nothingness to him; and so, with the more humbleness of mind, and self-abasement; as also with the more faith, and creature-like affiance, submit to him, and bear ourselves upon him. To this end, the scriptures have enrolled several ensigns of sovereignty; by which, as by so many footsteps, we are led to the absolute will and power of God, as the supreme cause and disposer of all.

The great act of sovereignty was God's decree for making the world; and of doing, or permitting to be done, whatev

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er should be in it, to the folding of it up. The heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them, as yet had no being: it was at his pleasure, whether he would make them or not: and if he would, what being he would give them; to what end, and how that end should be accomplished. And that these were all ascertained by the decree is evident; for "known unto God were all his works (which he would do in time) from the beginning of the world." Acts, 15: The scheme and substance whereof (and I hope without intrusion) may be drawn to this effect: "That the great God, most high and holy, being infinitely good, happy and blessed in himself, was also infinitely prompt and wellpleased to communicate thereof to others; to which end, he designed to raise up creatures, angels and men: that for the manifestation of his sovereignty, he would confirm a certain number of those angels in their primitive state; leaving the rest to themselves; who falling from that state, should be cast down, and "reserved in chains of darkness, unto the judgment of the great day," that in this lower world, he would set up the first man to be the head and representative of all that should come of him; that this single person should be created in the image of God, fit to enjoy communion with him, and endued with power to abide therein: that to manifest the weakness of creatures, and their perpetual dependance upon God, he would thus leave him to his first stock, with a perfect freedom of will, to retain, or lose at his own choice; but not without setting before him the happiness or ruin that would certainly follow his well or ill using that freedom; and, being so left, the fallen angel tempting him to disobedience, and also prevailing, both himself and all his posterity should by this revolt fall under the curse: that, for the declaration of his sovereign grace, he would, and accordingly did, choose a certain number of Adam's posterity (in themselves all alike depraved and lost), and ordain them to eternal life; and to make known the power of his wrath, and his just displeasure against sin, he would leave the rest in that state of perdition they would bring themselves into: that of those vessels of wrath, Satan himself (whom they chose to follow) should be the head and ruler: as also over them that were elected, for a time, namely, until the Messiah, their true and proper Head, and into whom

he had chosen them, should rescue them out of his power: that to this end, and that he might be known to be just, as well as merciful, in justifying of them, the Son of God should take on him the place of a second Adam, and come into the world with a human body; in which he should fulfil all righteousness, and, by the infinite virtue and merit of his death, should satisfy the law in all its demands, destroy the devil, dissolve his works, and reconcile the elect unto God: that he should be raised again from the dead, and invested with all power befitting the Captain of their salvation; so that he might effectually minister to them whatsoever should be requisite for bringing his sons to glory." This I take to be the sum of God's decree; the great ensign or standard-royal of sovereignty, of which all "the others are but consequents, and to which they are subordinate.

The first visible ensign of sovereignty, was creation, or God's giving the world an actual existence in time, according to his decree from everlasting; bringing that huge, yet void and formless mass, at first out of nothing; and then, this glorious fabric out of that confusion: his hanging the earth upon nothing: his assigning to every sort of creatures such form and station, to order, use, and efficacy, and impressing on them such laws and instincts of nature, as seemed to him good, (but all in a regular subserviency to the good of the whole,) which also was effected by his word. What he would, was done with such immediate suddenness, as if the things themselves had proceeded with his breath: "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast," Psal. 33:9. The instant production of light, Gen. 1: 3 and 9. The waters separating from the other elements, and gathering into a body, and their going up and down to the place he had founded for them, Psal. 104: 8. with many others, of which you have an index in the first of Genesis, are witnesses of it: as also his so fixing this establishment, that they continue to this day according to that ordinance, Psal. 119: 91.

Consequent to this, as a second ensign of sovereignty, is that universal providence, by which the creation is sustained, and all inferior causes guided to their designed end; and this, notwithstanding all supposable accidents, which might possibly happen, to obstruct or divert them.

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