fure of the divine conduct. God cannot do any thing contrary to his nature and the perfections of it: as for inftance; he cannot do any thing contrary to his juftice and holiness, for he is without iniquity; nor to his truth and faithfulness, for he cannot lye; nor, indeed, to any other perfection of his nature, for he cannot deny himself. If therefore the decree of Reprobation is contrary to the nature and perfections of God, it ought to be rejected as against the will of God; for the nature and will of God never contradict each other; and yet it is certain, that reprobation is according to the will of God; Whom he WILL be hardneth. And, what if God WILLING to fhew his wrath, and make his power known, &c. Befides, his making or appointing the wicked for the day of evil, is for himself, for his own glory, as well as his making or appointing all other things: fo that Reprobation, or appointing the wicked to deftruction, as it is not contrary to the will of God, fo neither to the perfections of his nature, and the glory of them. But let us attend to what is offered in proof of this affertion, that the decree of Reprobation is plainly contrary to the nature and will of God. And, 、 I. It is obferved, that "God doth immutably and unchangeably, and from the neceffary perfection of his own nature, require that we should love, fear and obey him. That he cannot but be defirous that all men fhould imitate his moral and imitable perfections of holiness, juftice,: truth, goodness and mercy, all which is agreeable to the light of nature and revela tion; and therefore he cannot have decreed, that the greatest part of men should be for ever left under an incapacity of loving, and fearing and obeying him; and seeing he muft earnestly defire that all men should be holy, righteous, kind and merciful, he cannot have ordained they should be otherwife, for want of any thing on his part, requifite to make them fo; much less can he command them, under the penalty of his severe displeasure, fo to be, and yet leave them under an incapacity of being fo." To. which I reply; 1. It will be granted, that God requires all men, and it is their indispensable duty, to love him with all their heart, foul and ftrength, to fear him always, and keep his. commandments; and that he defires that all men should imitate him in his moral perfections; all which the Heathen Sages Whitby, p. 27, 28, were, were, in some measure, acquainted with by the light of nature, and which God has more clearly discover'd as his will to his people, under the various revelations he has made: but then none of these things contradict the decree of Reprobation; for they only exprefs God's will of command, and fhew what is man's duty to do, and which, if done, would be grateful and well-pleafing to God, and approved of by him, but not his will, determining what fhall be done. Now could it be proved, that God has willed, that is, determined that all men fhould love, fear and obey him, all men would do fo; for, Who bath refifted his will? This, indeed, would con-. tradict a decree of Reprobation; then a decree to reject or punish any part of man. kind could never be fuppofed. But for: God to require all men to love, fear and obey him, and to fignify that these things are approved of by him, are no contradictions to any decree of his, to leave some men to themselves, to the freedom of their own wills, or to any determination of his, to punish them who do not love, fear and obey him. 2. It is certain, that all men in a state of nature, are in an incapacity to love, fear and obey God; the carnal mind is fo far from loving, that it is enmity against God; there's neither any fear of God in the heart, or A or before the eyes of an unregenerate man; nor is he fubject to the law of God, or obedient to it; neither, indeed, can be be without the grace of God. Now this incapacity arifes from fin, and the corruption of nature; and therefore, as it no ways leffens mens obligations to love, fear and obey God, nor weakens his authority to require these things, fo it is not to be afcribed to the decree of Reprobation. Could it be thought that fuch a decree puts men into an incapacity to love, fear and obey God; it would be apparently contrary to his moral perfections, and unworthy of him. But Reprobation does not, in any view of it, render men uncapable of these things; for, confider the objects of preterition either as fallen or unfallen creatures; if as unfallen, it finds and leaves them fo, without putting them in an incapacity, or fuppofing them in an incapacity to love, fear and obey God, and therefore neither finds nor leaves them in fuch an incapacity; if as fallen creatures, it finds them in this incapacity; and feeing this is owing to themfelves, it cannot be contrary to his moral perfections to leave them in it, or to determine to leave them in it. 3. Let it be obferv'd, that it is the grace of God only that can remove this incapa Rom. viii. 7. and iii. 17: city, city, or make men capable of loving, fearing and obeying him. We love God, because be first loved us; love is a fruit of the Spirit, and the produce of his grace. An heart to fear the Lord, is a part of the new covenant; in which covenant God has also promised to put his Spirit within his people, to caufe them to walk in his ftatutes, and keep his judgments and do them. Now the grace of God is his own, and he may do what he will with it, beftow it on whom he pleases, and withhold it from whom he thinks fit, without any impeachment of his moral perfections; wherefore to leave men without his grace, and in an incapacity of loving, fearing and obeying him, and to determine to do fo, even tho' he requires and approves of these things, cannot be contrary to the perfections of his nature. For, 4. It is not to be doubted of, that God requires the very Devils to love, fear and obey him; they are under obligation to thefe things, and it is their fin that they do not do them, and fhould they be done by them, would be approved of by God; and yet they are not only in an incapacity to do them, but are all of them, and that for ever, left in this incapacity. Now if it will comport with the moral perfections of f 1 John iv. 19. Gal. v. 22. Jer. xxxii. 39, 40. Ezek. xxxvi. 27. God, |