The Harmony if the Di·vine Attributes "-..A..F" That the Sin of Adam fhould be fo fatal to all his Pofterity, is the moft difficult part in ~the whole.ordcr~f Divine Providence. Nothing more offends c.trnal Reafon, which forms many {pectous Ob)el.tior.s againfl: it. I will briefly confider them. Since God faw that Adam would not refill the Temptation, and that upon his Fall the whole race of Mankind, which he fupporred as the Foundation, would fink into ruin, Why did he not confirm him againft it? \Vas it nor within his Power, and more fuita· blc to his Wifdom, Hnlinefs and Goodnefs ? 1 •. The Divin;~ot~:~/ c~~f;t~~ve preferv'd Man in his Integrity, either by laying a rcflramt on the .Apoflate Angels, that they fbould never have made an attempt upon him ; or by keeping the Underfl:anding waking and vigilant to difcover the danger of the Temptation, and by fortifying the Will, and rendring it imp,netrablc to the fiery darts of Satan, without any preJUdice to irs freedom. For that doth not confift in an abfolutc Indiflerence, but in a judicious and deliberate choice ; fo that when the Soul is , not led by a blind inftinft, nor forc'd by a foreign Power, but embraces \~hat it knows .+ Q!_Jando A· and appro1res, it then enjoys the ~oft true Liberty ·1·. Thus, in the gl?nfied Spirits a- ~~!i!a~;{:~(~~ ~~vis fop:~=e f~~'da~~n~1~~\s\:;~r~~v~h~n~~~?c~~~n~il1 is in dechnably fix'd up- ~:;~~!::"{uperioris hGni 1 Ul ad fdpfar.J fibi pl.zundo drfiure 1th iL'ias dddlio1:t 11011 poffir. Au;;. Lib, 4 · tont. Jul. 2. It was moll: fuitable to the Divine Wifdom, to leave Man to ltand or fall by his own choice; x. To difcover the necetfary dependance of all (econd Cau[es upon the fir )f. No Creature is abfolutcly impecc~Zble, bm the moft perfeCt is liable to lmperfei!ion. He that is e[fential';, is only unchangeably Good. Infinite Goodncfs alone excludes all poflibility of receivmg Corruption. The Fall of Angels and Man convince us, that there is one foie Being immutably Pure and Holy, on whom all depend , and without whofe Influence they cannot be, or mull: be etemally mifcrable. · 2. 'Twas very fit that Adam fhould be frft in a flare of Trial, before he was confirm'd in his Happinefs. The reafon of it is clear, he was left to his own ']11dgment and Eleflion! that Oredience might be his choice, and in the performance of it he might acquire a Tttle to the Reward. A determinating Vertuc over him had croft the end of his Creation, which was t0 glorify God in fuch a free manner. Therefore in Paradife there was amiable Obje{fJ to allure the lower Facultities, before they were diforder'd by him. The forbidden Frflit had beauty to invite the Eye, and fwcctnefs to delight the Palate. And if upon the competition of the Smjflal with the lnte/e{fflal Good, he had reJeCled the one and chafe the ether, he had been rais'd to an unchangeble ftate ; his Innocence had been crown'd with Perfevcrance. As d1e Angels wl,o continue~ in their Duty, when the ret1 revolted, are finally efl:abliill'd in their Integrity and Felicity. ·And the ApoJNe giyes us an account of this order, when he tells us, l Cor. 1 S· 46. '1 bat WA:S .firjf which was natural, then that which MJPiritual and fupernatural. Man was created i.n a fiate of Perfection, but 'twas naturll, therefore mutable ; the confirming of him immediately had been G~ace, which belongs to a more excellent Difpenfa_tion. Now to bring Man from not bemg to a JrtpanaturaL fl:ate, without trial of the mtdd!e Hate of Nature, wa:; not fo con· gruous to the Divine Wifdom. 3· The permiflion of the Fall doth not refleCt on the Divine Pmity; For, 1. Man was made Upright; He had no inward Corrnption .. to betray him; There was Antido!e enough in his Na_rure to expel the firongci't Temptation. 2. God was not bound to hmder the commWion of Sin : 'Tis a true M1xim, that in drbitU caaja d~ficiem efficit mora/iter: But God is not only free from fubieEtion to a Law, a~ having no Superior, bur was under no voluntary Obligation by Promifc to prevent the Fall. l· Neither doth that ftrft ACl of Sin refleO: on God's unfpotted Providence which fuffer'd it, as if Sin were in any degree allow d by Him. The Holv Law which God gave t~ direEl: MarJ, t~1e terrible Threatning annex\\ ro warn him, declar~ his ~rreconcilable H4tred againft Su~ . - He permits innumerable Sins e\cry day, yet he IS ~s Jealous of the Honour_of his H~lme~s now, as in the be~inning. 'Tis the worl1: lmp1ety for the Sinner to tiHnk God Ltke h;mfelf~ Pfal.so.z 1. as 1f he t.ook complacer.cy in Sin, becaure he is fil~nt for a time, and fuffers the commiffion of it, _In the nexr ftate_ he will fu~ly vindicate his Glo:-y, and convince the whole World of Ins ctt:rnal avcrfanon from Sm, by inHil.ting on Smncrs the mofi dreadful and durable Torments. 4· The Goodnefs of God is not difparag'd by pcrmimng the l'all : This app<ars by confidcring, '·That
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