of the PERSON of CHRIST. 127 might glorify him, and come unto the enjoyment of him, Gould eternally perifh, if any way of relief for any portion of it werepoffible unto in- finite wifdom, doth not give an amiable reprefentation of the divine excellencies unto us. It was therefore left on the provifion of infinite wifdom, that this great effeft of recoveringa portion of fallen mankind out of this miferable crate, wherein therewas a fuitablenefs, a condecency unto the divine excellencies, Should be produced. Only it was to be done on and by a free ad of the will of God ; for otherwife there was no obligation on him from any of his properties fo to do. But it may be yet faid on the other fide, that the nature of man was fo defiled, fo depraved, fo corrupted, fo alienated and feparated fromGod, fo obnoxious unto the curfe by its fin and apoftafy, that it was not reparable to the glory ofGod ; and therefore it would not argue any defeff in divine power, nor any unfuitablenefsunto divine wifdom andgoodnefs, if it were not aftualiy repaired and reftored. I anfwer two things 1.) The horrible nature ofthe firlt fin, and the heinoufnefs ofour apo- ftafy from God therein, were fuch and fo great, as that God thereon might righteoufly and Curably unto all the holy propertiesof his nature, leave mankind to perilh eternally in that condition whereinto they had caft themfelves. And if he had utterly forfaken the whole race of mankind in that condition, and left them all as remedilefs as the fallen angels, there could have been no refleftion on his goodnefs, and an evident fuitablenefs unto his juffice and holinefs. Wherefore wherever there is any mention in the fcripture of the redemption or reltoration of mankind, it is con- randy propofed as an effeCFof meer fovereigngrace andmercy. See Ephef. i. 3, 4,5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Io, I I. And thofe who pretend a 'great difficulty at pre- fent in the reconciliation ofthe eternal perilhing of the greater part of man- kind with thofe notions we have of the divine goodnefs, feem not to have fufhciently confidered what was contained in our original apoftafy from God; nor the righteoufnefs of God in dealing with theangels that finned. For, when man had voluntarily broken all the relation of love and moral good between God and him, had defaced his image, the only `reprefentation of his holinefs and righteoufnefs in this lower world, and deprived himofall his glory from the works ofhis hands, and had put him- felf into the fociety, and under the condor of the devil; what difhonour could it have been unto God, what diminutionwould there have been in his. glory, ifhe had left him unto his own choice, to earfor ever of thefruit ?this own ways, and to be filled with his own devices unto eternity ? It is only infinite wifdom that could find out a way for the falvation of any one of the whole race of mankind, fo as that it might be reconciled un- to the glory of his holinefs, righteoufnefs and rule. Wherefore as we ought always to admire fovereign grace in the few that Gall be faved ; fo we have no ground to refferondivinegoodnefs in themultitudes that perilh,efpe.. daily confidering that they all voluntarily continue in their fin and apoftafy. a.) Igrant the nature of man was not reparable nor recoverable, by any fuck airings of the properties of God as he had exerted in the creation and rule of all things. Were there not other properties of the divine nature Alan what were difcovered and revealed in the creation of all; were not fome of them fo declared capable of an exercife in another way or in higher degrees than what hadas yet been inranced in, it mur be acknow- ledged that the reparationofmankind could not be conceived compliant with the divine excellencies, nor to be efFeded by them. I Gall give one inibance in each fort, namely, firr in properties of another kind than any which had
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