in Contriving, Man's Redemption. 1 • That God bellowed on Man an excellent Being, and a Happinefs that might fatisfy ~ his Narurc conl1der'd as human, or holy. But he ~rverrcd the Favours of God to his ~ di!honour, ~nd this cloth not lclfen the ~oodnefs that ga._ve them. ~ris unreafonable to judge of the value of. a Bene~t , by ~he mgra.r~fill abu{Cof rJ1e Receiver, and n?t from ics own Nam'rc. 'Tts a choten Mifery that 1s come upon Man, and not to be tmputed to any defeCt of the Divine Goodr.e[s. . . . . 2. ·God is infimtely good, notwlthltandmg the entrance of Sm and Mtfery mto the World. We mult diltingmfh between Natural and VoiJt»W'J. Agents. Natural Agents have no power to fufpend their ./l{fs, but are. entirely dctermm'cl, and ~heir . Operarions are ad extremum 'Viri11m, w the utmofl: of their efficacy. If there vv.c~·c mfimte degrees or Heat, there would be no Cold , it bein~ overcome by the force ot Its contrary. But God is a Wifu and Free Agent, and as he 1s Infimte m Goodncfs ; fo the excrctfe of 1t IS voluntttry, and only fo far as he pleafes. . l· God is an Omnip.otent Good, and 'tis his peculiar Glory to bring Good out of Evil, that by the oppofitioit and lultre of Contrarres h tS Goodnefs mtght be the more confpt· cuous. To fpcak ftna!y, Smtsthe onty Ev tl m the World; for all the rclt whtch appear ro to our Fancies and Appetites, are. either abfolutely good, or upon the fuppofal of Sin, viz. either for the Reformation of Smners, or for the Rum. of ~he O~ihnate. NO\._v the Evil of Sin God permitted as a 6t occafion for the more glonous dtfcovcry of Ins Attributes , in fendmg hlS Son mto the Worl~ ro rep~t r Jus Image wluch was ~efac •d, and to raife Man from an Earth(! ro Ceiejltai Happmefs. I 01a ll conclude wtth the ~~~~~eO:id~~~'j:· ~~~;~;:~{e;; ~~b~1;ffe ~~~~v;~~:~;~ 0!o~0;, L:o~ e~;~~iJ;~~;;e;c·f~~e JS~;~ !:~::~~t:b~:~. ttt non peccare poj[et, Ji no/let. ,Nrmqutd entm Ji me/tor tjfet qut non. p~{fet peccare, ideo c. 14· non benefAf!t# eJ! 9ui ;of[et &, non peccare? An v_e~o ufque ttdeo deji;rendum ejl, ttt. homo vid~:at me!ttt-J altqrnd jiert debuifJe, e(7 hoc. Deum vtdi/J~ non PtJ~ct? Allt putet vidif[e & creda.t Jace:e noluifJe? Aut voluifJe qt~tde"! &_ mmtme p~tltiJ!e.? . ./.vertat hoc. Deus 4 C.rdtbJU ptorum. The fubltance of whtch 15 th15, Tha.t 'tts an tmptous folly to tmagine that God was either defeB:ive in Wifdom, not to know what was the beft ftate for Man in his Creation ; or defeElive in G6odnefs, that knowing it, he would not .confer it upon him ; or defeEl:ive in Power, that willing, he was unable to make him better. There is another ObjeCtion vehemently urg'd , that the imputat ion of Adam's Sin to all his Pollerity, who were not exiftent at th.at ti':fle,_and did not g~vc their. per[onal Conrent to the Treaty between God and him, 15 mconfiltent wtth Julttce. To this I Anfwcr : ,. The Terms of the firlt Covenant are fuch, that the common Reafon of Mankind cannot juflly refufe. For fuppofe all the Progeny of Adam had appear'd with him before their Creator, and this had been propounded,. That God would make an Agreement wtth thel~ common Father on t!tetr _behalf, rl~at tf he co~nnued m Ius .Q~dience, the~ rrJ~o~~~~;(s~Y ~J;,;;rx,a~~o~~~Ic~~~i~~ ~~h~:dro~~~~ ~ga~~~ft~~~~o:~ra1?~~~e~~d who is tl.tc Malter ofhi.s own Fa~o.urs, and gives ~hem upon what terms he pleafes, might !Jpon theu· refufal have )Ullly anmhtlated them. 1 he Command was equal,and his Obedience for all was as eafy, as that of every particular Perfon for himfelf. Belldes, Adam was as much concern'd· to obferve the Conditions of the Covenant, for fecuring his own Interei11 as theirs, and after a fbort time of tr ial they fhould be confirm'd in their BleiTednct;. By all whiclt 't is apparenr how reafonable the Conditions of the origm.·Tl Agreement between God .and Man are. 2. God hatb a power over our Wills !uperim to that we our [elves have. JfGod offers a C&venan.t t? the C:rearure, thet~rms being ~qua l, it bcco':les a Law, and confent is due as an ac1 ot Obedtence. And· 1f a Commumty may appo:nt one of thei r number to be their Reprejfntarivc, ~o tranfaEt Aff.1irs of .the greatefl: moment, and according to his ma· m.gem~nt, the beneht, or damage, fhall accrue to them, becaufc he is reckon'd to perform the \\' ills of rhe.m a~J; n:tay not Go~, who ~lath a fupreme Dominion O\'er us, confii. tutc Adam th~ Reprejent~t:"ve o_f Mankmd ( f/td. ?Jard de pe.ccttt , Origi1J.) and unite the £onfent of all to his general Will, fo that as he ful~tlled or nell!eCled his Duty, they fhould be happy or tmferable? TJus Confideratton alone; that the prjf Covenant .was order'd by ~~~~.:~~ f~;~~t;/~-~~~i~n~11on~~~~~i~~nc~sfit;~~~~"al;a~1}~r~~~;e~i~~~s ,~~~or~~Zit~n ~;~~ r~ ~}115 ~~ q.ltq:ad. .wa't~e?Jittujit pro umverfis ra!tombm <uthor Dctu._(Salv. db. S· de P~ov.) ~et~he 1 lS thiS a mec.l fxtnn{ic~ Argumen.r, as Autbomy u(ually JS, .becaufe rhere ts aa mtrmjick. rcafon.of tlu~ Authonty, rh~ abjolr~t.t Rectitud~ and ]ufiice of GocFs Natur~ M1 .ho u flghteot~s m 4/1. /m w;ys, ant/. bol.J p1 All !Jts w..orks, Pfa~. 14 }· J. 7- ' J? .~ [.: H A P. I V,
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