CHA P. III.

GENERAL REMARKS upon the DIVINE DISPENSATIONS.

CON

ONCERNING the foregoing difpenfations, we may in general remark, that as they are devised and executed by

God

I. They are all agreeable to the moft perfect rules of righteoufnefs and truth. Nothing falfe, unjuft, or injurious, can be charged upon the divine conftitutions. For (Deut. xxxii. 4.) all God's ways are judg ment; a God of truth, and without iniquity; juft and right is he Pfal. cxlv. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy, steadily acting according to truth, in all his works. See also Rev. xv. 3. And therefore they are in perfect confiftence with each other.

II. The ways of God are not to be confidered as the effect of neceffity, as if the end propofed could not poffibly have been otherwife gained; but as the refult of wife choice, or divine prudence, preferring fuch particular methods as preferable to any other, as beft adapted to our circumftances, or, all things confidered, as the moft likely to make mankind wife and happy. For inftance, it is by the difpenfation of God, that our prefent life is fuftained by food; not because it is impoffible we fhould live in any other way, for God could fuftain our life in perfect health and ftrength by an act of his own immediate power. Again, our food is produced by the influence of the fun, by rain, the fertility of the ground, human labour and skill; not becaufe food could not be otherwise produced, for God could, by an immediate act of his own power, create food for us every day, as he did for the Ifraelites in the wilderness; but this method of fuftaining our life is a contrivance of divine wisdom, to fhew himself to our understandings, (for, had we been fuftained by an immediate act of divine power, we should have been led to imagine, that, not God, but our own nature, had sustained itself) and to exercise our virtue and induftry in providing a subsist= ence, and to be mutually helpful to each other. Hence the works of God, in fcripture, are affigned to his wifdom. See Pfal. civ. 24. Prov. viii. 22. Ephef. i. 5, &c.-iii. 9, 10.

III. Affuredly all the difpenfations of God are calculated to promote virtue and happiness. This is the line which runs through the whole, as will appear in our future inquiries into the nature and tendencies of each of them. At prefent it may fuffice to obferve, that, however our circumftances may differ from those of our first parents, the end of our being is the fame as theirs; and we, as well as they, are upon trial, in order to our having the habits of holiness formed in us, and our being fitted for eternal life. And though it is a fad reflection to confider, how the wickedness of men hath from time to time fatigued the patience of God, yet it must give us pleasure to obferve, how his goodness hath applied various remedies to prevent, or heal, the corruptions of mankind. In what way foever men have gone aftray from him, his wisdom has ne ver been at lofs to find out the moft proper expedients to reclaim them. Evidently

Evidently his defign is to fave a finful world, and to carry religion, both in its personal influences, and general prevalence, to the highest perfection our prefent condition will admit (a).

IV. The fcriptural difpenfations, which have been enumerated, were feverally adapted to the then capacities and improvements, the moral ftate and circumftances of mankind. The feveral ages of the world may be compared to the several stages of human life, infancy, youth, manhood, and old-age. Now, as a man under due culture gradually improves in knowledge and wisdom, from infancy to old-age, fo we may conceive of the world, from the beginning to the end, as gradually improving in mental and religious attainments under the feveral divine difpenfations (b). Which difpenfations have been in every period fuited to the improvements in knowledge and wisdom, which then fubfifted in the world. Adam, when created, may be confidered as a child without knowledge, learning, and experience; and therefore the difpenfation he was under, was very different from that which we are under, who enjoy the benefit and light of fo many preceding difpenfations.

COROLLARY. A preceding difpenfation is intended and adapted to introduce and prepare for that which comes after it. Experience is a natural and certain mean of improving in knowledge and wifdom. This is univerfally true, as well with regard to communities as fingle perfons. It is therefore agreeable to the nature of things, that in a progreffive course of knowledge, and moral improvement, what we already have experienced should be a step to further advances; and confequently, in a juft plan or scheme of difcipline, it is fit, that what goes before, fhould be adapted to clear and establish what is to come after. Thus mankind, reflecting upon preceding difpenfations, will be admonished and directed to reform old errors and corruptions; and thus, even the monstrous apoftacy of the church of Rome may ferve to introduce and establish that most perfect state of Christianity, which we expect will fucceed the difpenfation we are now under.

V. All God's difpenfations are in a moral way, and adapted to the nature of rational agents. Exod. xiii. 17. Force and co-action destroy

the

(a) Now, if fuch a defign fhall appear evidently to run through the Books of the Old and New Teftament, a man may, with infinitely greater propriety, fuppofe the moft perfect drama (where the fineft defign is carried on by the beft chofen plot, and by the most confiftent underplots, and beautiful, wellproportioned incidents) to have been writ by a number of the greatest madmen or idiots, by piece-meal, in different ages; than imagine a thread of fuch an end and mean running through above 40 writers, in more than 100 years, to be the work of fo many enthufiafts. Or, we may as well fuppofe the world to be framed by mere chance; or the most magnificent, beautiful, and convenient palace, that the imagination can figure to itself, to be built by men unacquainted with all the rules of architecture, in feveral diftant ages, and without any model to build by, and to be fupported by mere chance, through as many more; as imagine fuch an unity of defign and mean, as I have defcribed, to be the refult of enthusiasm and accident mixed together. Ld. Barrington's Effay on the Div. Difpenfations. Part I. Preface, p. 26.

(b) Ages of a Man. 6.

16. 20. 30. 40. 50. 60. 70. Ages of the World. 600. 1600. 2000, 3000. 4000. 5000, 6000. 7000.

the very nature of holiness; and therefore all divine methods of refor mation are fo wifely adjusted, as to leave human actions in their proper ftate of freedom. By none of his works did God ever intend to render wickedness impracticable; and he hath always provided fufficient fupports for integrity and virtue. With this very fentiment prophecy in Daniel and in the Revelation is fealed up. Rev. xxii. 11. He that is unjuft, let him be unjust fill; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy ftill. That is to fay, there is no cure for the obftinately blind and wicked; neither are the ways of God intended to purify thofe, who will not be made clean; but, after all that God hath done, the wicked (Dan. xii. 10.) Shall be left to do wickedly. And none of the wicked will understand, but only the wife will understand. But he that is righteous, let him be righteous ftill; and he that is haly, let him be holy fill. Hof. xiv. 9. Who is wife, and [for] he shall underfland these things? Prudent, and [for] he fball know them? For the ways of Jehovah are right; and the just fhall walk in them; but the tranfgreffors fhall fall in them. The fincere and upright, who choose the way of truth, or turn from fin unto righteousness, the righteous and merciful God will never for fake. They make a wife improvement of his difpenfations, and, under all trials and difficulties, he will guide and fupport them; and their path fhall be as the fhining light, that shineth more and more to the perfect day.

COROLLARY. Hence we may conclude―That in computing the progress of religion, under any difpenfation, the quantity of knowledge and religion is to be measured only by the improvement of the righteous; and that the wicked, bow many foever, are not to be taken into the account, as making any deductions from it. Or, the advances of knowledge and religion, under any difpenfation, are not to be eftimated by numbers, but by the proficiency of fingle perfons, how few foever. Noah, a single perfon, was, at the time of the deluge, the true ftandard of religious improvement in that agt; though all the reft of mankind were exceeding corrupt and wicked.

VI. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, faith the apoftle James, Acts xv. 18. Then all God's works were formed and planned in his counfels, and lay under his eye in one comprehensive view; and therefore must be perfectly confiftent. One uniform scheme muft be laid, and one even thread of defign muft run through the whole. They are not the refult of fudden, incoherent thoughts; but a well digefted plan, formed upon the moft juft principles by him who feeth all his works from the beginning to the end. Whence it follows, that if we do not difcern one coherent defign in the divine difpenfations, or if we make any one part clash with the reft, we may be fure we do not underftand them. Goodnefs was the principle of creation. God made man because he delighted to communicate being and happiness. Confequently, goodness and fatherly love, which was the beginning and foundation of God's works, must run equally through them all, from first to laft.

VII. Previous notice was given of fome of the principal difpenfations, either for warning, or to prepare men for the reception of them. The deluge was preached by Noah 120 years before it came to pafs. The Jewish difpenfation was predicted to Abraham 430 years beforehand. Jeremiah foretold the Babylonifh captivity; and Paul, and John at large,

predict

predict and defcribe the grand apoftacy. But the coming of the Meffiah, and the gospel difpenfation, run through the whole, from the beginning to the end, in a lefs or clearer degree of light. And it was fitting that this, which is the chief of God's works, fhould receive the brightest evidence from prophecy. And therefore it was not fit it fhould be introduced till fuch time as it had received that evidence; which in Scripture is called the fulness of time. Gal. iv. 4.

VIII. The difpenfations of God are intended for our contemplation and study; and it is a fingular advantage to form right notions of them, because they will tincture our conceptions of God, and influence our dispofitions towards him. If we judge truly of God's works, we shall have agreeable and lovely ideas of the workin in. His wifdom, his goodness and truth, will stand in a fair light, and we fhall confefs him infinitely worthy of our highest regard. Then we fhall think of God with admiration, pleafure and delight, (Pfal. xcii. 4. Thou, Lord, haft made me glad through thy work; I will triumph in the works of thy hands) and fhall ferve and follow him with willing minds. But if we form fuch conceptions of the ways of God, as reprefent them to be arbitrary and tyrannical, inconfiftent with all our notions of justice and goodnefs, the effect of fovereign will, without either reafon or love, he muft ftand before our thoughts in the moft frightful colours. The moft horrible gloom will be drawn over the perfections of the beft of beings; our minds will be filled with darkness and dread; and, if we worship him at all, our worfship and obedience will not be the free and generous duty of fons, but the joyless conftrained drudgery of flaves.

IX. It must be remembered, that the works of God are unfearchable, and past our finding out to perfection. Pfal. xcii. 5. O Lord, how great are thy works, and thy thoughts are very deep! From a juft fenfe of the infcrutability of the divine difpenfations, the apoflle concludes a difcourfe upon the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles, with this folemn exclamation: O the depth of the riches, both of the wiflom and knowledge of God! How unfearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Rom. xi. 33. It becomes us to admire and adore the counfels of infinite wisdom, and to acquiefce where we cannot gain a full knowledge of them. Rev. xv. 3. Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty! We cannot comprehend the ways of God in their fulleft extent, in all their largeft views, and remoteft connexions. He therefore that is wife will not cavil at them, nor foolishly endeavour to pry into them beyond the bounds of revelation, and of human. understanding.

X. But under all our prefent darkness, and under every difpenfation, an honeft heart, fincerely defirous to know the truth, feriously inquifitive after it, meekly fubmiffive to what God hath revealed and commanded, willing to work together with him, patiently perfevering in well doing; fuch a temper, and fuch a conduct, is the beft and fafeft guide under every difpenfation; will enable us to follow God, to comply with every defign of his providence, to overcome in every hour of trial, and will lead us to eternal life. To fuch a character, as well as to Daniel, (Chap. xii. 13.) it is the language of divine grace-But walk thou, thou honeft, upright man, walk thou thy way to the end, take courage and VOL. I.

B

comfort,

comfort, walk on, perfevere in the path of truth and integrity; for, after all the trials and difquietudes of this world, thou shalt reft, and ftand in thy lot, the lot of pious and faithful fouls, at the end of the days.

HIS is the work of creation. To create is to give Being to that

a thing fhould be and not be at the fame time, is a contradiction and impoffibility; but that a thing fhould exift now, which did not exist before, is no more a contradiction, than that my hand fhould move now, which did not move before.

That there is one firft uncaufed Caufe, from which all other beings derive their exiftence, and upon whom they have their entire dependence, hath already been proved. Confequently, all beings, except the first Caufe, must have been produced, or brought into being, by the power and agency of the first Caufe. Not produced, out of nothing, but out of nothing befides the immenfe and unconceivable fulness of the felf-exiftent Being, who must have in himself the power and poffibility of all being; though we cannot comprehend or conceive in what manner, or by what kind of agency, he createth or communicateth existence to beings diftinct from himself.

Of the Creation of all things, Mofes in this chapter has given us a fummary account; not in a precife philofophical manner, but fo as to give the men of that age in which he wrote, juft and affecting notions of this firft and moft itupendous work of God, so far as was neceffary to the purposes of true religion, and no further. It is enough, therefore, that his account is true, fo far as it goes, and not in any refpect inconfiftent with the most accurate discoveries which have been made in later ages concerning the fyftem of the universe, or any part

of it.

Ver. 1. In the beginning, &c. The heavens and the earth may comprehend the whole univerfe, or all things vifible and invifible. It doth not therefore follow, that the whole univerfe was created all together at once, or at fome one period of time. But the meaning is this; at first, when the universe was produced, it was brought into being by the fole power and wifdom of the almighty and eternal God. This is true, though the feveral parts of the univerfe may have been produced at different times, or at any diftance of time from each other; and though God may ftill be creating new worlds in the immenfe bofom of space, which is not improbable: I fay, it is true, that in the beginning of their existence, whenever that was, God created, and is ftill creating, them

all;