cease to be God. The only reason why men ever alter their purposes is, either the want of wisdom, or the want of goodness, or the want of power; but this can never be a reason for God's altering his designs, which are formed in perfect goodness and wisdom, and which he has sufficient power to carry into execution. So then the immutability of the divine purposes is as certain as the immutability of the divine existence. This mode of reasoning is confirmed by divine revelation. The scriptures say much on this subject, and abundantly teach the immutability of the divine purposes.Job says of God, "He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth." David says, "The counsel of the lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations." Solomon says, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." James says, "God is the father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning." Paul says, God has confirmed the immutability of his counsel by an oath." God says of himself “I am the Lord, I change not.” And again he says, "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 which are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure." These passages are too plain to need any comment, or to admit any doubt. They assert the immutability of the divine purposes, in terms as full and strong as language affords.

But nevertheless,

The

II. God does make conditional declarations to men. He tells them what would have been, if they had conducted differently from what they did; and he tells them what will be, if they conduct in a certain manner in time to come. Scriptures abound with such conditional declarations of the immutable Deity. We have a plain instance of this in what God said to Saul. God told him if he had not been disobedient and refused to follow the direction which he had given him by Samuel, he would have established his kingdom over Israel forever. When God was about to punish David for his iniquity, he reminded him how much good he had done him, and then added, "If that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things." God also informed his people in general, by the mouth of David, how differently he would have treated them, if they had only been more dutiful and obedient. He said, "O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways, I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand

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against their adversaries." And again he said, "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the Our Saviour also told the Jews how differently he would have treated them, if they had received him, instead of rejecting him, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings; but ye would not." When Paul set sail for Rome in a dangerous season of the year, he admonished the centurion and the rest in the ship, that if they proceeded on their voyage, they would meet with difficulty; but his admonition was disregarded, and the advice of the master or owner of the ship was followed. It was not long, however, before they found Paul's words to be true and themselves on the point of despair. Then Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss."

But God not only tells men what would have been, if they had conducted differently, but he also tells them what will be, or what will not be, on condition they do or do not conduct in a certain manner. When Cain was so highly displeased with God, for rejecting his offering, he said to him, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." David said in his dying address to Solomon, "Keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes and commandments, that thou mayest prosper in all thou doest, that the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their ways, to walk before me in truth with all their heart, and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee, said he, a man in the house of Israel." Isaiah made a similar conditional declaration to the people of God; "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Thus were the terms of life and death proposed in the Old Testament; and we find them proposed in the same conditional manner in the New Testament. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." This conditional mode of speaking runs through the whole bible. God tells men after they have acted, how he would have treated them differently, if they had acted differently; and he tells them before

they aet, how he shall treat them, if they act in one way, and how he will treat them, if they act in another way. He promises to make them happy, if they are obedient; but if they are disobedient, he threatens to make them miserable.

It now remains to show,

III. As evidence that such conditional declarations of God are consistent with the immutability of his purposes. We have proved that his purposes are immutable, and we have shown that some of his declarations to men are conditional. His conditional declarations must, in reality, be consistent with the immutability of his purposes, whether we can sce and point out the consistency or not. Many we know have found or made great difficulties in discovering the consistency of these two doctrines, and generally those who have not discovered their consistency, have been led to believe the one and deny the other. Some of the greatest errorists, on these points, do not pretend to deny that God has formed purposes from eternity; but they suppose his purposes are conditional, because his declarations are so. They insist upon it that his eternal purposes cannot be immutable consistently with his conditional declarations. And they consider these conditional declarations as a demonstration that his purposes are as conditional as his declarations. They suppose that God did not absolutely determine that Adam should either stand or fall; but only, that if he did fall, he would provide a Saviour for him and his posterity. They suppose God did not absolutely determine that a part of mankind should be saved, and a part should be lost; but only that if a part should repent and believe, they should be saved; and that if a part should remain impenitent and unbelieving, they should be lost. They suppose that God did not absolutely determine the existence of sin; but only that if it did exist, it should be over-ruled for his own glory. Now it is easy to see, that this supposition makes the purposes of God conditional and mutable. They must vary just as much as the conduct of mankind varies. And this certainly destroys the immutability of the divine purposes. But there is no ground to suppose that the purposes of God are mutable, because men's conduct is mutable, and he has declared that he will treat them according to their conduct. The conditional declarations of God will appear consistent with his immutable purposes, if we attentively consider the following observations:

1. God, in many cases, gives men natural power to coun teract or frustrate his immutable purposes. Though God immutably determined, that Adam should eat the forbidden

fruit; yet he gave him natural power to refrain from cating of the forbidden fruit. God absolutely determined that Saul should offer sacrifices and lose his kingdom; but he had natural power to wait for Samuel, and to obey the divine injunction laid upon him. God determined that the owner and master of the ship in which Paul sailed, should meet with harm and loss. But they had natural power to comply with Paul's advice; and if they had complied, Paul told them they would not have suffered the harm and loss they did suffer. It is true not only in these, but in all other cases, that God gives men natural power to violate their duty. A natural power to act, always implies a natural power to refrain from acting. When God gave Judas natural power to betray Christ, he gave him the same natural power not to betray him, and so to counteract his determinate counsel and foreknowledge. But,

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2. God may make conditional declarations to men, in perfeet consistency with their free-agency and his own immutable purposes. So long as God gives men natural power to act, or not to act, they remain possessed of perfect liberty or free-agency. They cannot conceive of greater liberty and freedom than this; and this they enjoy in perfect consistency with the immutable purposes of God respecting all their thoughts, words and actions. Accordingly when God makes conditional proposals to them they are always conscious that they have power to comply, or not to comply with them; and whether they do comply or not comply, they are conscious that they might have done otherwise. Thus Adam was conscious, when God prohibited him from eating of the tree of knowledge, that he was able to obey or disobey the divine prohibition. And after he had disobeyed it, he was conscious that he might have done otherwise, that is, that he might have obeyed it. So Pharaoh was conscious, after he had refused to let the people of God go, that he might have done otherwise. So Saul was conscious, after he had disobeyed the word of the Lord by Samuel, that he might have obeyed it and secured the throne of Israel to himself and his family. After Esau had sold his birth-right, he was eonscious to himself, that he might have done otherwise. After the brethren of Joseph had sold him into Egypt, they were conscious to themselves, that they might have done otherwise. And after Judas had betrayed Christ, he was conscious to himself, that he might have done otherwise; and it was this consciousness that gave him that regret and remorse, which proved his ruin. And thus all men, are al

ways conscious, after they have done wrong that they might have done right; and after they have done right, that they might have done wrong. The reason is because they know that they always have natural power to do either good or evil, just as they choose. Hence they always feel the propriety of God's making conditional proposals to them. This they acknowledge is treating them as free, moral agents, and they insist that they ought to be so treated. So then the conditional declarations and proposals of God are certainly consistent with the highest liberty and freedom of mankind. And it is easy to see that they are no less consistent with the immutability of the divine purposes. For though God always gives men natural power to counteract his purposes, and break his laws; yet he can make them willing to fulfil them. Hence he can, with entire safety, make conditional declarations to men, and place them in the most trying situation; because he can always make them willing to act just as he has determined. Thus he placed Adam in paradise, and made conditional proposals to him, without the least danger of his frustrating his immutable purposes. Thus he raised Pharaoh to the throne of Egypt, and put his people into his hand, without the least danger of his frustrating his purpose, and the promise he made to Abraham. Thus he put Judas into the family of Christ, and gave him the best opportunity to be his sincere and faithful friend, without the least danger of his frustrating the great design of redeeming love. And thus he can place the elect or non-elect, in a state of probation without the least danger of the elects' finally rejecting the terms of the gospel. For he can make the elect willing in the day of his power, to repent and believe. Thus there appears to be a perfect harmony, connection and consistency between the immutability of the divine purposes and the divine declarations. God could and did fix the immutability of his purposes from eternity, and can carry them into execution with perfect consistency with human liberty and his own conditional promises and threatenings. He can set life and death, good and evil before men, who are perfectly free and voluntary agents, and yet make them willing or leave them in impenitence. Hence it is evident that what is apt to appear in the eyes of men, most dark, in the word and conduct of God, is the brightness of divine truth and love. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." His eternal and immutable purposes are perfectly consistent with his conditional doclarations to the children of men. Con. Evan. Magazine.