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iii. 17. (But the wisdom from beneath, is 'DEVILISH.-15.) 'O, the depth of the Riches, both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God!'-Rom. xi. 33.

The Wisdom of God is DETERMINATE, Foreseeing and Ordaining the Great Purpose and Result of Creation from the Beginning, Appointing with infallible certainty, all the Means, and the most perfect Means, for its final entire accomplishment, and sufficiently providing for all possible Contingencies.

'I am God, and there is none else! I am God, and there is none like Me! Declaring the End from the Beginning, and from Ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, My Counsel shall stand, and I will do All My Pleasure! Calling a ravenous bird from the east, and a man from a far country, (as means) that executeth My Counsels. Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass! I have Purposed it, I will also do it! [And here following is Declared this Ancient Purpose:] Hearken unto Me, ye stout[stubborn, perverse, stony] hearted, that be Far from Righteousness! I BRING NEAR My righteousness; it shall NOT be far off; and My Salvation shall not tarry.'-Isa. xlvi. 9--13. (Proposition II is necessary to be read in connection with this for the whole of the Scriptural argument concerning the Divine Purpose for Universal Salvation.)

Times are not hidden from the Almighty.'-Job xxiv. 1. 'New things do I Declare; before they spring forth I tell them.'-Isa. xlii. 9.

'I have Declared the former things from the Beginning, and they went forth out of My mouth, and I showed them.' Isa. xlviii. 3.

"Known unto God are ALL HIS WORKS, from the Beginning of the World.'-Acts xv. 18.

'He hath Determined the times before Appointed, and the Bounds of our habitation,' [existence.]-Acts xvii. 17.

"Against Thy holy child Jesus whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the People of Israel were gathered together, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy Counsel BEFORE DETERMINED to be done.' -Acts iv. 27, 28. 'Him being delivered BY THE DETERMI nate Counsel and Fore-KnowlEDGE OF GOD, ye have tak

en, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.'—Acts ii. 23. Here we see that the Scriptures themselves do recognize the fact, that the two fundamental doctrines of our Religion and philosophy, viz: the entire Sovereignty of God, and the moral Accountability of man, are both true, and consequently in some manner mutually consistent. These principles in connection, involve a problem which is deemed very difficult of solution, if not absolutely inexplicable; so that many have preferred to abandon one or the other of those hypotheses, in despair of their reconciliation. Yet it is plain that the Bible no more explicitly declares that the crucifixion of Jesus was 'by wicked hands,' than it asserts the whole chain and measure of our Saviour's sufferings, and their manifold wicked causes, to have been 'according to the Determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge of God.' The scheme of Calvinism has ever been insufficient to explain the connection and dependence of these doctrines. And it is only that system of Christian Philosophy which defines the true relation between the permission of evil, and of human sinful ness, sufferings, and earthly experiences, with the high and eternal interests of man, that is competent to settle the question with any degree of satisfaction. Acknowledge the fact that human iniquities, and therefore also the punishments which follow in their course, are both ordained of heavenly Wisdom, (the one as the cause of the other,) for the higher good of those that are exercised thereby,' and you are at once in possession of the golden key that unlocks the sacred mystery.

"If plagues or earthquakes break not Heaven's design,
Then doth a Borgia or a Cataline?

Who knows but He whose hand the lightning forms,
Who heaves old ocean, and who wings the storms,-

Pours fierce ambition in a Caesar's mind,·

And turns young Ammon loose to scourge mankind?
Account for moral as for natural things:
God's Wisdom good from seeming evil brings.
Why charge we Him in those, in these acquit ?
In both, to reason right, is to submit.
Better for us, perhaps it might appear,
Were there all harmony, all virtue here;
That never air or ocean felt the wind;
That never passion discompos'd the mind.

But nature lives by elemential strife,
And passions are the elements of life.
The general order since the whole began,

Is kept in nature, and is kept in man."-POPE.

The Wisdom of God is SUPREME, comprehending, and infinitely transcending the united knowledge and powers of all created beings;— MIGHTY, having infinite Resources at its command; and EFFEC TUAL, for the perfect consummation of all His glorious Devisings, super-directing even the ways of man to contribute to the mysterious working-out of His Purposes.

'God, THE ONLY WISE.'-Rev. xvi. 27; 1 Tim. i. 27."The foolishness of God is wiser than men.'-1 Cor. i. 25. 'Even the angels are charged with folly in His sight.'-Job iv. 28. The wisdom of this world is Foolishness with God; and it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.' -1 Cor. iii. 9. All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity.' -Isa. xl. 17.

'God is Mighty in strength and Wisdom.'-Job xxxvi. 5. Wisdom and Might are God's.'-Dan. ii. 20. He is Wise in heart, and Mighty in strength.'-Job. ix. 4. The Lord of hosts is Wonderful in Counsel, and Excellent in Working.'-Isa. xxviii. 29. He is Great in Counsel, and Mighty in Work.'-Jer. xxxii. 17.

'What

"The Counsel of the Lord Standeth Forever; the thoughts of His heart to All Generations.'—Ps. xxxiii. 11. soever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it.'-Ec. iii. 14. 'Thy Counsels of Ŏld, are Faithful and True.'-Isa. xxv. 1. "The IMMUTABILITY of His Counsel.'-Heb. vi. 17. "The works were Finished, [that is, with Him who 'seeth those things that be not, as though they were,'] from the foundation of the world.'---Heb. iv. 3. He hath done all things Well.'-Mark vii. 37.

"There is no Wisdom, nor Understanding, nor Counsel against the Lord.'-Prov. xxi. 30. "There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless, the Counsel of the Lord, THAT SHALL STAND.'—Prov. xix. 21. 'A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps.'-Prov. xvi.

19.

For 'the way of man is not in himself.'-Jer. x. 23.

'Yea, let them take counsel together, [let men endeavor to baffle My Purposes:] Who hath Declared this from Ancient Time? Who hath told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? and who is God but Me,- -a Just God and a Saviour? There is none besides Me. Look unto Me and be Ye Saved, All the Ends of the Earth! for I am God, and there is none else! I have Sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in Righteousness, and shall not Return: That unto Me, Every Knee shall Bow, Every Tongue shall Swear, surely shall say. In the Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to Him shall men come ; and All that are incensed against [unreconciled to] Him, shall be ashamed, [subdued.] In the Lord shall All the Seed of Israel [see Rom. iv. 16,] be justified and shall glory.' -Isa. xlv. 21--24.

"If we cannot conclude from the Power, Knowledge, and Goodness of God, that the most noble, God-like end, the highest good, shall finally be effected under the Divine administration, from what premises can we infer any conclusion at all? Erroneous as human reason is, it is impossible to mistake here. Does it not then become us to be still, under a sense that God is Gop! especially when we consider that with Him there is neither variableness nor shadow of turning? So that He will remain forever the same Omniscient, Omnipotent, and infinitely Good Being, and to all eternity exert Himself to do the Best things."

"He can do all His Pleasure; He knows how to do it, and His Pleasure is, to do the Greatest Good. Must not the consequence follow, then? When we are desirous to do anything, and have a clear perception of the kind and quantity of means necessary for the best accomplishment of our object, a skilful foresight of every possible contingency, and sufficient strength and fortitude to prosecute the work, remove every obstacle, and surmount every difficulty in the way, is it possible that after all our object should be utterly defeated? Certainly not. And shall we suppose that the designs of God will fail, whose Knowledge and Power are unlimited, and before whom nothing is a difficulty, nothing

N

an impediment, nothing any discouragement?
means."---(Rev. Nathaniel Niles, A. M.)

"Submit; in this or any other sphere,
Secure to be as blest as thou can'st bear :
Safe in the hand of th' All-Disposing Pow'r,
Or in the natal, or the mortal hour;

All nature is but art, unknown to thee,

All chance, direction, which thou can'st not see ;
All discord, harmony, not understood,

All partial evil,-universal good.

In spite of pride, in erring reason's spite,
This truth is clear,-- Whatever is, is right."

"Here then we rest; the Universal Gause

By no

Acts to ONE END, but acts by various laws."-POPE.

PROPOSITION THIRTY-NINTH.

Universal Reconciliation is the Fruit of God's Infinite POWER.

EVIDENCES.

Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor THE POWER OF GOD.' 'Is anything too hard for the Lord?'-Gen. xviii. 14. 'Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?'-Mic. ii. 7. 'Behold, I am the Lord God, the God of All Flesh; Is there anything too hard for Me.'-Jer. xxxii. 27. Is Mine hand shortened that it cannot Redeem ?'-Isa. 1. 2.

'Thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy Great Power, and stretched-out Arm; and behold, There is Nothing too hard for Thee. Thou showest loving kindness unto thousands.'-Jer. xxxii. 17.

Behold, the Lord's hand is NOT SHORTENED that it cannot Save.'-Isa. lix. 1. There is NO RESTRAINT to the Lord, to Save by Many or by Few.'--1 Sam. xiv. 6.

'The

'With God, all things are Possible.'-Mark x. 27. weakness of God is Stronger than Men.'-1 Cor. i. 25. He is Almighty.'-Ex. vi. 3. The Lord God Almighty.' -Gen. xvii. 1. THE LORD GOD OMNIPOTENT.'-Rev. xix. 6. 'His name is, The Great, THE MIGHTY GOD, Jehovah of hosts; Great in Counsel, and Mighty in work.'-Jer. xxxii.

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