mined and no others?" O no; unless the great Jehovah is "deficient in wisdom" and "power;" and I will add goodness too! I conclude therefore, that God could very consistently overrule the conduct of Joseph's brethren, and that of the "Jews in the death of Christ" to the promotion of good, without exerting an agency in producing the hatred of the one, or the malice of the other. But he proceeds-"Now, all the agency which God exerted in controlling these events, it must be acknowledged, if he be immutable, he had always determined to exert." p. 67. True; but all the agency which God exerts in controlling events, does not amount to the production of one sin. God always determined to control events, because he always knew that events would exist; but never determined to produce sin, which is contrary both to his nature and commands.

Again he says "Did he determine to control events, in the existence of which, he had neither choice nor influence ?” No; for he chose that sin should not exist; and therefore, interposed the influence of a most solemn command against it: Gen. ii. 17. He had therefore, both choice and influence, in the existence of the events which he determined to control. But this choice, and this influence were both against the very existence of some of the events which he determined to control, as every command, and every threatening in the Bible, abundantly shows. To assert that God has determined the existence of sin, and then forbade the commission of it, and threatened the transgressor with eternal ruin, is to charge him with the highest duplicity. He goes on "If so, there are many events independent of God." I answer: siuners are not independent of God, yet he has nothing to do with producing their sins. Their existence and support, is for a far more noble purpose than to sin against God; and herein sinners do not answer the end of their creation. But

on the Calvinistic scheme, they as much answer the end of their creation, when committing murder and adultery, as when praying and repenting ; for, say they, all these things "are in the plan of God."

But agin-"And if this be asserted, we are deprived of all proof of his existence." All proof! O no; unless sin is the only proof we have of the existence of a God! and surely no man in his senses will assert that. We might well argue the existence of the devil, from the existence of sin ; but we could hardly argue his existence from the prevalence of holiness and happiness in the world. So of the existence of God. We cannot argue the existence of an infinitely holy and, wise Being, from the existence of sin and misery; but we can argue his existence indubitably, from the works of his hands, which are verity and truth, and from his dispo sition manifested against sin, and in the redemption and salvation of a ruined world. He proceeds-"It can be no more difficult to account for the existence of all events without a God, than for the existence of a part." O yes; for sin is of the devil; "For the devil sinneth from the beginning;" I. John, iii, 8. We will then account for all those events which are properly denominated moral evils, by means of the devil, and wicked men; and for the existence of all the rest, by means of the infinite wisdom, and almighty power of the great Jehovah. But who made the devil and wicked men? I answer; the Lord made holy angels, and man in a state of perfection and happiness: but both have fallen-the one irrecoverably, the other wretchedly. God, however, is not the author of the changes which have taken place in the moral condition of either. Neither can it be proved, that he ever designed or decreed those changes, by which the one became a devil, and the other a sinner.

But once more-"But if it be acknowledged that he has some kind of agency in the existence of every event, it must also be acknowledged that he has determined the whole of his own actions." Yes, he has doubtless determined the whole of his own actions; and as far as we are able to discover those actions. by a survey of the works of creation, providence, and grace, we can see nothing like moral evil coming from his hand. "Determined the whole of his own actions!" Surely had not the dictates of ecclesiastical policy clipt the wings of this conclusion, we might have seen Cal. vinism without a covering; for that system not only teaches that he has determined the whole of his ownactions, but also› the actions,good and bad, of every other being in the universe!

But Mr. Hattempts to establish his decrees from the scriptures. This comprises his third argument; but how far he has succeeded, we are now to see.

The first of the three passages produced in confirmation of this doctrine, is, Eph. i. 11. "Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." This text proves that God exerts an agency in overruling and governing all events, even sin, so far as is consistent with his own character, and the relation of man, as an accountable being. Yes, all that God works, he works after the counsel of his own will; but how this proves that he works sin into existence, is difficult to see. We know that the counsel of his own will, worketh many very solemn commands against it, but not a word in favour of it If I understand Mr. H. his object is to impress the idea that God is the author of every event. Hence, for instance, when a man murders, it is his only as an instrument; God is the proper author of the act. But if this is too horrible, and approaches too near to blasphemy, let our opponents cease to put a forced construction upon this text, in order to support a favourite scheme.

The following is believed to be at once, a more consistent and harmonious view of this passage;

1. As will is the determination of the mind, it seems to be the result of understanding and judgment; and these in God, being absolutely holy, and infinitely perfect, the will of God therefore, must partake of the same divine perfection. It cannot therefore will any thing unholy, or imperfect.

2. If the text has any regard to the natural or materiał world, the term "worketh" has reference, 1st. to the creation of all things; 2d. to the government of matter by the irresistable laws of nature.

If it has reference to the moral world, it is to be nnderstood, 1st. of the creation of moral agents; 2d. to the government of them by laws suited to their capacity, and to the character of the law-giver.

It also, without doubt, has regard to that mighty scheme of redemption and salvation, by which Jesus Christ became "the propitiation for our sins, and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world;" and to the great doctrines, experience, and duties of the Christian religion, as laid down in the Holy Scriptures. But what has all this to do with Calvinistic decress? The counsel of his own will, has made man an accountable being, and appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by Jesus Christ; but has not, as we think, unalterably decreed, that men shall act as they do in a thousand instances.

The second passage produced, is, Prov. xvi. 4. "The Lord hath made all things for himself." This text proves that all the Lord hath made, he made for himself. But will Mr. H. say that the Lord made sin for himself? We read that sin is the transgression of a law; how, think you, did the Lord go to work to make sin? Whose law did he transgress? Again, from Exodus, xx. 11, we learn that the work

of creation was finished in six days; and in looking over the first week's work, sin is not to be found in the whole catalogue.

The third and last of his scripture proofs, is, Isaiah, xlvi. 7, 10. "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." This text proves, 1. that Jehovah is God; 2. that there is none like him; 3, that he foreknows all things; and has declared some things by prophecy. 4. That he will do just as pleases him best; or, in other words, he has determined the whole of his own actions.

But

"Again" he says, "the scriptures so explicitly assert that such events as death and the day of Judgment, are determined of God, that no believer in the Bible will dispute it." True; and this was done because he saw there would be occasion for it, and not because he had given occasion for it. he goes on--"But these" (i. e. death and the day of judgment) "depend on innumerable other events, which of course are in the plan of God; which at the same time are of a moral nature." The reader will not mistake the meaning of Mr. H. here, for the "innumerable other events," to which he alludes, are of a moral nature, and of course involve the moral conduct of men. These he tells us are in the plan of God. Now who does not see, that he means here in a sly manner, to insinuate that God is the author of all sin; for this is what made death and judgment necessary. All I have further to say of this wild notion, is, that I sincerely wish such bold assertions, might either be proved, or discarded by rational men.

Now for the sweeping conclusion. "The unavoidable result of this reasoning is, that if some events are determined of God, the whole are, and every prophecy in the Bible is