been given, and would, had it befitted the greatness of God, or the trust and reverence we owe him; but for the present he is pleased to give none other but that of his right; he may do what he will with his own, Rom. 9:18.

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Lastly. Most transcendently glorious, and for ever adorable, is the sovereignty of God, in his ordaining the man Jesus, "who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," and was also united to the second person, to make his soul an offering for sin." That the Lord of glory should be made sin, and a curse; that was such a tremendous act of divine sovereignty as never shall be paralleled, and should therefore for ever seal up our lips from replying against God, about his disposing of sinful worms; which thing, whenever we hear or think upon, we should put our mouths in the dust.

Before I come to the inferences, I would add a caution or two, to prevent those sinister deductions which our de. ceitful hearts may be ready to draw from this sovereign truth.

Caution I. See that you make not God the author of sin, by charging his sacred decree with men's miscarriages, as if that were the cause or occasion of them; which we are sure it is not, nor can be, any more than the sun can be the cause of darkness. Be it always remembered, that the Lord's rejecting of men puts nothing of evil into them, nor necessitates the will; it only leaves them to their own ways, which they freely choose; yet banking them in, and stopping them up, as he did the fountains of the great deep, lest they deluge the world' with sin.

Caution II. Go not about to palliate, nor think to extenuate your sin, by arguments fetched from God's decree. That sin of the Jews, in "crucifying the Lord of glory," was in no wise lessened beecuse the counsel of God had determined the thing to be done, for they perpetrated it with wicked hands. Nor is men's unbelief ever the less culpable, from God's eternal disposement of their conditions; for it is not upon that consideration that they stumble at the word, or turn the deaf ear to it, or resist it, but from their own natural blindness, and enmity against it.

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And so I come to the inferences of this greatly im portant doctrine; and,

First. From the scriptures so copiously holding it forth, infer that the doctrine of God's sovereignty is a very teaching doctrine, and full of instruction; and, consequently, that it is both a duty, and much for our profit, to be well acquainted with it. And great confidence I have, that the farther you go in an humble fiducial disquisition and contemplation of it, the clearer will be the reason thereof, and the more usefulness will still appear to be in it. Let reason but keep its own place (that is, let it go by the rules of right and reason,) and nothing will be more consonant thereto, than that "the most High should bear rule over all, and do according to his will;" and that men, who are atoms of clay animated by his breath, should own him for their sovereign lord, and accordingly submit to him; yea, though so it were that our own personal welfare were not concerned in it, it will be of singular use and moment to us in the whole of our lives. Nothing like this will allay those carnal reasonings, which are so unreasonably prone to put in their verdict of spiritual things, which yet carnal reason hath no cognizance of, and will indeed be silenced by nothing else: the apostle, therefore, thinks them not worthy a further reply, whose captious inquiries the sovereignty of God will not satisfy: "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will? Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" Rom. 9: 19, 20, 21. O that the glory of this high attribute might hide pride from men!

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A second inference, which naturally flows from this doctrine, is that of the psalmist: "O come, let us worship, and bow down, and kneel before the Lord, our maker." Psal. 95: 6. Let us give him the glory of this great attribute, by a real and practical owning that indispensable bond of obedience which it lays upon every creature: we are highly obliged by it, both in point of subjection, and in point of faith.

First, In point of subjection, to his laws, ordinances, and providences.

1. For the laws of God, and his appointments. These we are to attend, observe, and obey; I cannot say, "For the Lord hath need of them;" for neither can our righteousness profit him, nor our wickedness impair him. Job. 22: 2, 3. chap. 24: 7. "He is the Lord thy God, and worship thou him." Psal. 45: 12. This is that strong reason by which he hath backed both commands and prohibitions: "I am the Lord thy God." Exod. 20: 2. Thou shalt do thus: and thus thou shalt not do, "I am the Lord:" this he sets in the front of all; and with this he closeth the rear, and guards them on every side. Moses brings it in as a convincing reason why we should love God with our whole heart, and keep his commandments, namely, because he is the Lord, and he only. Deut. 6: 4. No one, therefore, may pretend to a right of giving laws to men, or to an interest in their love and obedience, save with respect to God, and the authority they have from him. And though he sometimes is pleased (and it is a great condescension in the great God,) by arguments taken from our own good, to draw us to obedience: "Do it, for it is for your life." Deut. 32:37. Yet in our spirits, that of his sovereign glory should have the preference. To cast out Ishmael was a thing grievous to Abraham; but being commanded of God, he "debates it not, nor delays to do it." Therefore hold on your way, though never so great obscurity be upon it at present: mind your duty in the midst of discouragements; go as Peter, who, though he had labored all night, and caught nothing, yet says, " Master, at thy command I will let down the net again." Luke 5: 5.

2. Be subject to his ordinances. If he please to command the using such means as have no natural virtue towards such an effect, as in Moses stretching his hand over the sea, and smiting the rock with his rod; so water in baptism, and bread and wine in the Lord's supper: presume not to say, "What is there in these?" Godliness is a mystery, which only faith can understand: there is no di vine institution but hath meat in it that you know not of, which, if rightly used, will speak for itself. If he please to make clay of dust and spittle, contemn it not, but submit to his will and way, and be thankful for thy cure.

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Samson's hair was an ordinance to him, which when he slighted, the spirit of God left him, and he became as other men, and recovered not until it was grown again: “ Lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines," Judges 13: 5. "And Delilah made Samson sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven," chap. 16: 19.

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3. As touching the providences of God: observe them, and submit to them. Look not on them as empty things; the least may yield you instruction, as also the most unlikely: "Out of the eater comes forth meat, and out of the strong, sweetness," Judges 14: 14. though the thing be a . riddle to a heart uncircumcised, plough with his heifer, and ye shall find it. Neither look on them as things impertinent; but say rather, "Is there not a cause," though I see it not? the Lord does nothing in vain. Neither yet look on them as things contingent: a sparrow falls not without his will, and "the hairs of your head are all numbered," Matt. 10: 29, 30. David was "dumb, and opened not his mouth." Why? "Because thou, Lord, didst it," Psal. 39: 9. and Shimei's cursing he bears patiently on the same account, "The Lord hath bidden him," 2 Sam. 16: 10, 11.

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There may be such a mixture and confusion of things, and your expectation so delayed and frustrated, that your froward untamed heart may be ready to wrangle it out. Why falls it alike to all? why to the just according to the work of the wicked; and to the wicked according to the work of the righteous?" Eccl. 8: 14. or, Why one event to them both?" This is not to inquire wisely; you should rather conclude, "The Lord hath need of them;" that is, he hath occasion to use such a providence to fulfil a word, or purpose; and that of greater importance than to satisfy your private concern, or present expectation. If you would cast, so as to lie by your mark, this attribute of sovereignty gives you the best ground. Search and observe as much

as you will, so you take faith along with you, without which you can do nothing warrantably. Faith is a sworn officer to the great king, and has a key for every lock that is fit to be opened: it forces nothing; but where it cannot enter, it stays without, and waits a better season. Let faith also be chief speaker in all your debates; and then the result will be, that carnal reason and present sense (though very tenacious and stubborn) shall yield the cause, and let you go.

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The sum of all this is, that though you be not conscious to yourself of any particular cause or miscarriage, besides what is common to men (which was the case with Job,) Lay your hand upon your mouth," as Job did, Job 40: 4. "The most High doth according to his will:" this even the proudest of kings acknowledged, Dan 3: 34, 35. "when his understanding returned to him;" and so will you: and know, that if your spirit be out of frame in your present condition, it would not, at present, be better in any other.

Secondly, Our faith also is highly concerned in the sovereignty of God: for it both obligeth to believe in him, and also affords matter for faith to work upon. To these ends the Lord holds it forth to Abraham; "I am the Al mighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect," Gen. 17: 1. This was what enabled him to believe he should have a son; even while the deadness of his own body, and of Sarah's womb, wrought strongly against it, Rom. 4: 19. This also was what made him so readily assent to the offering up of his son, when he had him. He had as much to say against it, as could well be supposed; for the promise was, that "in Isaac all the families of the earth should be blessed," Gen. 28: 14. which promise, and this command, Abraham's reason could not reconcile. The contradiction would surely have run him down, had not his faith in this great attribute held fast, and guided the reins; suggesting to him, that he who gave Isaac a being from a withered stock, was also able to raise him from the dead, Heb. 11: 19. Abraham therefore disputes it not; stands not so much as to consider of it; but up he gets early to do it, Gen. 22: 3. and hence he obtained that honorable title, to be called "the friend of God!" James 2: 23.

Ye have seen now what Abraham did; "Go ye and do