SERMON V. MORAL AGENCY CONSISTENT WITH DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE. Thou wilt ROм. ix. 19, 20. 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? FEW who have admitted the divine authority of the Jewish and Christian revelation have ever expressed a doubt of the universal extent, and the distinct precision, of the divine foreknowledge; that the Supreme Being possesses a clear and comprehensive view of all events, past, present, and to come; and this, whether they are the natural results of mechanical laws, or altogether dependent upon the designs and actions of voluntary and intelligent agents. The beautiful and necessary consequence of the divine foreknowledge, combined with the equally important and demonstrable attributes of unlimited power and goodness, is the doctrine of the all-knowing, allgoverning providence of God, which extends to all creatures, and to all events, whether physical or moral; not only to those which are the necessary result of the laws of nature, but to all the actions of voluntary and intelligent agents, and to the events which are combined with them, and result from them, in all their remotest connexions and consequences, both to individuals and to society. The connexion of the doctrine of divine providence, with that of the divine prescience, is so distinct and inseparable, that no one can, with the least appearance of consistency, admit the one and deny the other. When God began to act he distinctly foresaw, through the utmost extent of boundless space, and of endless duration, all the events which would actually take place in the universe, and the manner in which every intelligent being would act in the circumstances in which he was to be placed. If he had then seen that the conduct of an individual, in any circumstances, would have been inconsistent with his grand design, and would have in any the slightest degree interfered with his original and perfect plan, it was in his power to have varied his scheme in such a manner as to have produced a different effect, and to. have limited and controlled the designs and actions of every individual in such a manner as to bring them, without any violence or compulsion, within the plan of his providence. Hence we infer the mo mentous and delightful truth, that there is in the universe but ONE GOVERNING WILL, that all events are carried on in one uniform course, to an issue most honourable to the divine perfections, and that all the various contending wills of subordinate agents, whether they know, intend, and approve it, or not, are controlled and overruled in such a way as may be most subservient to the design of the benevolent Creator. This glorious doctrine has lately engaged much of our attention, and I know of no other truth, the firm belief of which possesses so direct and powerful a tendency to cheer, to tranquillize, and to animate the mind, to reconcile us to the perplexities and the vicissitudes of the present state, and to inspire that habitual confidence and joy, which no external vicissitudes or disappointments can disturb. I am, however, sensible that some intelligent and candid persons are disposed to think that this sublime doctrine is inconsistent with the moral agency, and the accountable nature of man, and for this reason they admit the doctrine with reluctance, being apprehensive that it may abate the motives to virtue, and may render bad men easy in the commission of crimes. It is said, if all the thoughts, the affections, and the actions of men are foreknown to God, and are essential parts of the divine plan, where can be the merit of good, or the demerit of evil actions? where is the wisdom of reward, or the justice of punishment? This difficulty, this great apparent diffi culty, which has already been glanced at in the preceding discourse, presses with so much weight upon many candid and ingenuous minds, that it merits a closer examination than has hitherto been bestowed upon it; and I shall be very happy if I can propose such a solution of it as will leave the serious and reflecting mind in full possession of that consolation which the doctrine of the divine foreknowledge, and of the over-ruling providence of God, is calculated to afford; and at the same time, to demonstrate, what, to my own apprehension, is clearer than light, that this doctrine is perfectly consistent with the moral agency and accountable nature of man, and with the wisdom and equity of reward and punish ment. If any are disposed to doubt the propriety of treating upon a subject of this nature in a popular discourse, and before a mixed congregation, I plead the example and authority of the apostle in the text. The epistle from which these words are taken was addressed to the mixed congre |