more troubled with the old one, but might believe what he pleased. But since such an explanation has been given before many hundred people, let us return and look at the passage once more. It is introduced in connexion with a quotation from the 2nd Psalm; in which David said,

Why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ."

In

stead of coming together to do what God in the counsel of his word, or revealed will, had required them to do; they came together in a rage, to destroy him whom they wickedly hated. They imagined vain things, that is, things which they could not accomplish. They said, as it appears by the continuation of the subject in the 2nd Psalm, "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." This was their object, if we may credit the declaration of the inspired Psalmist. But he that sitteth in the heavens laughed, the Lord had them in derision. While they expressed their malice and envy in putting to death the Son of God, his counsel stood. Their wrath was made to praise him. In spite of all their rage, still he set his king on the holy hill of Zion.

If we compare the scripture, now under con sideration, with what is said in other parts of the bible concerning the sufferings of Christ, we shall see that the explanation, which we are opposing, is perfectly unscriptural. Christ said to the disciples going to Emmaus, "O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things?" What things had been spoken of, but his being delivered by the chief priests and rulers to be condemned to death, and his being crucified by them? Christ considered them, even in that early dawn of the christian dispensation, as fools and slow of heart to believe, because they did not see the necessity of his crucifixion. It was a necessary part ofthe divine plan, that Christ should be crucified. No other kind of death would have been agreeable to the eternal counsel of Infinite Wisdom. Christ, to redeem us from the curse of the law, must be made a curse for us. In the law of Moses it is said, For he that is hanged is accursed of God. The apostle to the Galatians so applies this to Christ, as to make it necessary that he should suffer death, even the death of the The serpent of brass lifted up on the pole, taught the necessity of Christ's being lifted up on the cross. Some time before his crucifixion, he told his disciples that he must go up to Jerusalem, and suffer such things as he afterwards suffered. When Pilate proposed to the Jews, to take Jesus and judge him according to their law, this reason is given why it was so ordered, that they should not accept the offer, "That it might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die;" that was, by crucifixion. We may just as well suppose, that it was not necessary that Christ should die at all, as that it was not necessary he should be crucified.* This

cross.

*

It was warmly contended by the Methodist, that it was not ne. cessary that Christ should be crucified; or even that there should be any violence offered him by wicked men. He went so far as to say,

then was what God's hand and counsel determined before to be done. He determined that Christ should be betrayed into the hands of sinful men; that they should mock him and spit upon him; that they should bear false witness against him, and condemn him to be crucified; that they should pierce his side, and part his raiment, and cast lots upon his vesture. These, and all the other particulars of his death, were included in the counsel of God. Until he had suffered all these things, he could not say, "It is finished." If there had been one ingredient in the bitter cup, which was put into the hand of the Son of God to drink, which had not been included in the wise counsel of eternity, it would certainly have been taken out, in answer to his agonizing prayers. More than twelve legions of angels would have been sent by the Father, to prevent, or remove any such needless suffering from his well-beloved Son.

I have dwelt long on the necessity of the crucifixion of Christ, and the other evils, which he suffered from the hands of wicked men; and my reason for it is this, That I suppose nothing in the bible is capable of being more fully proved, than God's intention, that the Saviour should suf

that the Jews did not put him to death, because his death commenced in the garden, and he would have expired, if nothing had been done to. him by his enemies. This, according to his views of things, would have answered just as well as to have had him crucified. Now, are not such shifts as these, indicative of a bad side? How often has it struck the reader of the gospels, that every minute circumstance in the tragical death of the Saviour was pointed out, either by the types or predictions of the old testament. And how evident it has appeared to the reader, that the writers of the gospels viewed all these minute circumstances, as indispensably necessary to have taken place as they

did.

fer such things by wicked hands; and when this is proved, all the difficulty, attending the subject of a universal divine plan, is at an end. If God can consistently determine the existence of that which is sinful in us, then there is no doubt but that he may make his decree so extensive, as to include every single event, which has, or will come to pass. And if he can include in his plan one event, which cannot be brought into existence without sin in creatures, then surely there is no impossibility, but that he may include in his plan every other such event. As soon as we have proved, that one sin was decreed, we have removed all the objections which can be made against supposing that all the sins in the universe were decreed.

If men can do that, with "wicked hands," which God determined before to be done, then the divine determination does not destroy the free agency of creatures. If God can determine one of the actions of a moral agent, and yet that moral agent be free, then he can determine all the actions of all the moral agents in the universe, and yet they all be free and accountable. If therefore we have proved from the bible, that a single action of a moral agent is included in the eternal counsel of God, we have proved, to the satisfaction of all who regard the authority of the bible, that all the actions of moral agents may be thus included, without infringing upon their freedom: For it would be as totally inconsistent for him to destroy, or impair the free agency of one

*There can be nothing done with wicked hands, where there is no ce agency.

of his creatures in one instance, and still treat him, in that instance as accountable, as it would be to destroy the free agency of all his creatures in every instance. It is as inconsistent for an infinitely perfect Being to do wrong once, as to always do wrong. "God is light, and in him

there is no darkness at all.”

IMPROVEMENT.

I. If it has been proved, that God brings every thing to pass according to the eternal counsel of his will, or purpose of his mind, then we ought to understand those passages of scripture, which speak of a change in him, as referring to a change in his conduct, and not in his purpose. "His steady counsels change the face of the declining year."

There may be great changes in the world of nature, and in the kingdom of providence; and yet all these changes may be parts of one consistent scheme of divine operation, from which there is never the least departure. When the Ninevites repented of their sin, it is said, "God repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them, and he did it not." God made his conduct towards them answer to their conduct towards him. He has not formed a plan to act inconsistently, but in every instance to act in the most perfect manner. It is not agreeable to the counsel of his will, to punish the righteous, or reward the wicked. He did not bring upon the Ninevites the punishment, which he would have done, if they had remained impenitent; but does it follow, that God had no purpose concerning their repentance and preservation from destruc